Cabbage Rolls Stew - a Malaysian Eurasian Thing

rainna's Note:

When I think of family gatherings, the first thing that comes to mind are these cabbage rolls. My first memories of these cabbage rolls was a Christmas night, at age 5 or 6. My parents were at my grand uncle's home, with the adults. The family's maid swept all the young ones and sat us down on the kitchen table, with our legs dangling down. Then, she brought a huge plate of rice, mixed with these cabbage rolls, and proceded to feed us one by one, forming the meal in a rice ball with her hand. It was so good, that everyone of those kids today, look forward to cabbage rolls with steam rice at every Christmas. This recipe was handwritten by my Godmother for me. At the end of the recipe she writes, "Happy Eating."

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 head cabbage
• 600 g ground pork
• 1 (7 ounce) canSpam or 1 (7 ounce) can chopped ham
• 2 stalks onion scallions (thinly sliced)
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion (quartered)
• 1 (2 inch) cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 4 -6 peppercorns
• 1 (7 ounce) can campbells chicken soup
• 1 small nutmeg , seed grated

Directions:

1. Boil some water in saucepan. Put in whole cabbage. Remove leaves individually.
2. When leaves are cool, slice off the back center top rib of each leaf -this makes it easier to roll the meat in it.
3. Mix together, the minced pork, the spam, the egg, the sliced green onions, pepper and salt. I like to add a little sherry or chinese rice wine at this point. It's up to yo.
4. Place one dessert spoonful of this mixture in each leaf and roll as in egg-roll style.
5. Heat a little oil in saucepan, when hot, put in the quartered onion, cinnamon stick, pepper seeds, cloves and nutmeg seed.
6. When onion is soft add the can of campbell chicken soup, stir, and add some water (depending on how much gravy you want).
7. When soup begins to boil put in cabbage rolls, simmer for 5 to 10 mins, then turn off heat and serve with sambal belachan and hot rice.