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Susan Jung

Many cuisines use leaves to create little parcels of food. For the delicious Thai dish miang kham, betel leaves are stuffed with dried shrimp, toasted coconut, lime, roasted peanuts and fried garlic and shallot; while in Vietnam, the leaves are used to wrap minced beef flavoured with fish sauce and lemongrass and grilled. In Eastern Europe, cabbage leaves are used to create parcels of rice and meat while grapevine leaves are popular in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Use these recipes as a guideline and change the fillings to suit your tastes.
Stuffed grapevine leaves (pictured)
This recipe calls for meat in the stuffing but it can be left out. The parcels can be served hot, warm or cold, and with or without a sauce.
20ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
50 grams onion, diced
120 grams long-grain rice, rinsed until the water runs clear, then drained
100ml water
200 grams minced lamb or beef
10 grams minced parsley
About 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Finely grated zest of half a lemon
About 30ml fresh lemon juice
30 grams toasted pine nuts
30 grams raisins
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 30 grapevine leaves in brine
1/2 a lemon, thinly sliced, plus lemon wedges for serving
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
30ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
250ml light, unsalted chicken stock or water
Rinse the grapevine leaves thoroughly, discarding any with large holes. Soak them in warm water until ready to use.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and onion and cook over a low flame until soft. Add the rice and 100ml of water. Bring to a simmer then lower the flame, cover the pan with the lid and cook until the water has been absorbed; the rice will still be firm. Cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Mix the meat with the rice, parsley, cumin, lemon zest and juice, pine nuts, raisins and salt and pepper to taste. Lay a leaf on a clean dish towel and add a spoonful of the filling on the part of the leaf closest to you. Fold the bottom and sides over the filling and roll it into a tight parcel. Put the leaf, seam-side down, in a baking pan that's large enough to hold all the stuffed leaves in one layer. Continue rolling the leaves until all the filling is used up. Pour the chicken stock or water into the pan, then drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil on top. Add the sliced lemon and garlic, then cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the leaves are tender. Remove the stuffed leaves from the liquid. Place the pan over a medium flame and simmer to reduce the liquid until it's about 100ml. Serve the stuffed leaves hot or warm. Just before serving, spoon some of the liquid on top of each portion then drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
Stuffed cabbage leaves
16-20 large leaves of savoy cabbage, plus extra for covering the rolls
40ml cooking oil
1 medium-sized onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and diced
500 grams minced beef (or use half beef and half pork)
100 grams uncooked long-grain rice
30 grams tomato paste
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
15ml cooking oil
1/2 a medium-sized onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
750 grams canned diced tomatoes
30ml aged balsamic vinegar
Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer, add the cabbage leaves and cook for about 30 seconds, or until they wilt. Drain the leaves, rinse in cold water, then drain again. Squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves then dry them with paper towels. Use a sharp paring knife to cut out the thick parts of the veins.
To make the tomato sauce, heat the cooking oil in a pan, then add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato, season with salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
For the filling, heat the cooking oil in a skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the cumin seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the carrot and cook until tender. Cool completely, then mix with the meat, rice, tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Spoon some of the tomato sauce into a baking dish.
Lay a cabbage leaf on the work surface. If the leaf was trimmed of the vein, overlap the cut edges slightly. Spoon some of the filling over the leaf on the side closest to you. Fold the bottom and sides over the filling, then roll it into a parcel. Place the roll seam-side down in the baking dish then continue with the remaining leaves and filling. Place some cabbage leaves on top. Cover the pan with the lid then bake for about one hour. Cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
Styling: Corner Kitchen Cooking School
 


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Susan Jung's recipes

Recipes for stuffed leaf wraps: grapevine leaves with lamb, and cabbage leaves with beef

Stuffed grapevine leaves. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Leaves are used as packaging in traditional dishes around the world. Susan Jung parcels up some gratifying treats


Recipes for stuffed leaf wraps: grapevine leaves with lamb, and cabbage leaves with beef

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Leaves are used as packaging in traditional dishes around the world. Susan Jung parcels up some gratifying treats

Leaves are used as packaging in traditional dishes around the world. Susan Jung parcels up some gratifying treats