Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Bring Warmth to Last of Chilly Regions

By Tomoyo Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, March 22, 2026

While the air has begun to warm, some regions may still feel a chill. For such days, culinary expert Ryuta Kijima suggests stuffed cabbage rolls, a classic stewed dish. It is a dish that allows the natural sweetness of winter cabbage to shine through with its simple seasoning.

To make stuffed cabbage rolls, the meat and vegetable filling is wrapped in leaves and slowly simmered. These rolls were a “special winter treat” for Kijima during his childhood.

While his mother Naomi Kijima and his late grandmother Akiko Murakami — both culinary experts in their own right — occasionally added a twist with cream sauce, Kijima’s current version is a classic, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. “My goal is to create ‘stuffed cabbage rolls that leave no waste,’” he said.

While it is common to peel and boil only as many leaves as needed, it often leaves parts of the cabbage unused.

For this dish, an entire half head of cabbage is boiled, ensuring that every leaf — regardless of size — is put to good use.

Even the thick veins, trimmed to make the leaves more pliable for rolling, are finely chopped and incorporated into the meat filling.

Before the finely chopped onions are added to the meat, they are coated with flour. This ensures that any moisture released during the cooking process is absorbed, which keeps the filling from losing its shape.

The most important point is how to roll them. Arrange a large leaf and a slightly smaller leaf by overlapping them skillfully to form a single sheet. Since the meat shrinks when heated, roll it tightly to avoid gaps.

When arranging them in a frying pan for simmering, fill the gaps with carrots and small cabbage leaves to prevent them from losing their shape.

“A larger frying pan might be easier to work with,” Kijima said.

After being slowly simmered, the meat filling is fluffy and tender. Despite the minimal seasoning, the dish achieves a complex flavor as the umami from the meat, vegetables and shimeji mushrooms meld together.

“Winter cabbage, with its firmer leaves, is easier to work with and develops a sweetness when stewed,” Kijima said.

Stuffed cabbage rolls

Ingredients (makes 8 rolls; serves 3 to 4):

• 400 grams ground meat mix (beef and pork)
• 1/2 large cabbage (600 grams)
• 1 onion
• 10-centimeter piece of carrot
• 1 pack shimeji mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt
• A dash of pepper
• Whole-grain mustard as desired



Directions:



1. Cut out the core of the cabbage in a V-shape. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, add some salt and submerge the entire cabbage half. As the leaves loosen, take them out and set them in a colander to cool.

2. Once cooled, trim the thick veins from the leaves and finely chop them for later use.

3. Cut the carrot into 5-centimeter-long wedges and round off the corners to create a football shape. Roughly pull apart the shimeji mushrooms. Cut half of the onion into 1-centimeter-wide wedges.

4. Mince the remaining onion and combine it with the chopped cabbage veins. Blend in flour.



5. Combine the ground meat with salt and pepper, kneading until well mixed. Mix in the egg and panko bread crumbs. Stir in the onion and cabbage vein mixture from step 4, then divide into eight even portions.

6. Create eight sets of leaves by layering large and small ones together. Place the meat filling at the base of each set and roll tightly from the front, tucking in both sides along the way.

7. Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a 26-centimeter frying pan. Fill the gaps with the carrots, shimeji mushrooms, onion wedges and any remaining small cabbage leaves.

8. Pour in enough water to just barely cover the rolls, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil with the lid on. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 50 minutes. Adjust the flavor with extra salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve on a plate and garnish with mustard as desired.