Title: Cabbage Rolls with Tofu Filling
Categories: Tofu Beef Ground Entree Mushroom
Yield: 1 Servings

2		Cakes tofu
2		Shitake mushrooms
2		Green onions
		Meat seasonings:
1	tb	Sake
2	tb	Soy sauce
1 1/2	tb	Sugar
1	ts	Ginger, minced
		And:
8	oz	Ground beef
2	tb	Cornstarch
8	lg	Cabbage leaves
1	tb	Cornstarch for dusting
		Cabbage leaves
2	c	Dashi (stock)
2	tb	Soy sauce
2	tb	Sugar

Crumble tofu by placing in a dry cloth, drawing up the ends to form a sack, and squeezing. If using dried shitake, soak in warm water until soft; then cut off and discard stems. Mince the shitake and green onions.

Bring the meat seasonings to a boil, and add the ground beef, shitake and green onion. Cook for several minutes. Take off the stove and let cool, then stir in the tofu and 2 T cornstarch.

Cut away the hard core of the cabbage leaves; parboil, drain, and pat dry with a towel (I now use frozen cabbage to do this to avoid parboiling).

To assemble, sprinkle the inside of the leaves with cornstarch; place 1/8 of tofu-meat filling at the thick end of each leaf and fold like an envelope. Fasten with a toothpick.

Bring to a boil the dashi and 2 T soy and 2 T sugar. Put the cabbage rolls in the pan in a single layer. Place a drop lid (or simply cover the pan) over the rolls. Simmer for 30 minutes. Place cabbage rolls in a serving dish and keep warm. Thicken the remaining sauce with the dissolved cornstarch, and pour it over the cabbage rolls.

Since my background is half Japanese, I cook with tofu regularly. I love all the favorite and traditional ways of serving tofu in Japan, but I also use tofu in ways to appeal to non-Japanese (like my husband and my friends) as well.

Nona Myers (happy hapa)

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