Cabbage Dumplings — the viral trend with no dough at all: juicy ginger-pork filling wrapped in tender blanched cabbage leaves, steamed until translucent, and finished with chili oil, sesame and green onions, exactly as the pin shows them in the bamboo steamer. (The pin shows the finished dumplings without a printed ingredient list, so this is the complete standard recipe for exactly the dish in the photo.) Every step below comes with its own photo.
No Dough — Cabbage Wraps
Steam 10-12 min
Makes 12-16 dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 large head green or Napa cabbage (12-16 large leaves)
- 1 lb ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey)
- 2 green onions, finely sliced (plus more, to serve)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black or white pepper
- 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot or mushrooms (optional)
- To serve: chili oil or chili crisp, sesame seeds
- Dipping sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, pinch of chili flakes and sugar
Step by Step
Blanch the Cabbage Leaves
Cut the core out of the cabbage and gently peel off 12-16 large outer leaves, keeping them whole. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the leaves in batches for 1-2 minutes each, until they turn bright green and bend without cracking, then lift them into cold water to stop the cooking. This blanching is the whole trick of the viral trend: raw cabbage snaps when you fold it, blanched cabbage behaves like a soft dumpling wrapper. Drain well and pat completely dry — wet leaves make slippery parcels — then lay each leaf flat and shave down the thick white rib at the base with a knife so the leaf folds evenly.
Mix the Filling
Combine the ground pork with the green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper and the carrot or mushrooms if using, then mix firmly in one direction with a spoon or your hand for about a minute, until the mixture turns pale, sticky and holds together in one mass. That one-direction mixing is not superstition — it develops the proteins so the filling sets into a juicy, bouncy bite instead of crumbling like a meatball that fell apart. The seasoning mirrors the dipping sauce flavors in the photo: soy for salt and umami, ginger and garlic for warmth, sesame for that unmistakable aroma.
Fill & Wrap
Lay a blanched leaf flat, rib-side down, and place about 2 tablespoons of filling near the stem end. Fold the bottom up over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll it away from you into a snug little parcel, seam-side down — exactly like a burrito, and the photo’s neat bundles are precisely this shape. Do not overfill: an overstuffed parcel bursts in the steamer and a modest one seals itself as the leaf shrinks slightly around the filling. If a leaf tears, patch it with a small piece of another leaf inside; the steamer forgives everything.
Arrange in the Steamer
Line a bamboo steamer (or any steamer basket) with a perforated parchment round or a few spare cabbage leaves, and arrange the parcels seam-side down in a single layer with a little breathing room between them. Crowding is the enemy: parcels that touch fuse together and tear when separated, and steam needs paths to reach every surface. The spare-leaf liner is the old-school trick — nothing sticks, and the steamer stays clean enough to rinse and put away.
Steam Until Translucent
Set the steamer over boiling water, cover, and steam for 10-12 minutes, until the cabbage turns glossy and translucent enough to see the filling’s shape through it, and the pork is cooked through (165°F, no pink). You will see the change the photo shows: the leaves go from opaque pale green to a glassy, almost jade translucency that clings to the filling. Resist lifting the lid early and often — every peek dumps the steam and adds a minute to the clock. Work in batches if your steamer is small; the first batch keeps perfectly warm in a low oven.
Finish & Serve
Lift the parcels into the steamer basket or a warm platter and finish them exactly like the pin: a generous spooning of chili oil or chili crisp over every parcel, a shower of sesame seeds, and a scatter of sliced green onions. Stir the dipping sauce together and serve it alongside — plus extra chili oil for the heat lovers, both visible in the photo’s little bowls. Eat them hot with chopsticks, one parcel per bite, dragged through the sauce. Tender sweet cabbage, juicy gingery pork, a slow chili warmth: this is why the trend refuses to die.
Pro Tips
- Shave the rib — the thick white stem at the leaf’s base is the only part that resists folding. A shallow slice off its top makes every leaf lie flat and roll evenly.
- Mix the filling one way — a full minute of stirring in one direction gives the juicy, springy texture of a good restaurant dumpling.
- Seam-side down, always — the parcel’s own weight plus the shrinking leaf seals it in the steam; no toothpicks or twine needed.
- Do not crowd the steamer — single layer with gaps. Two free-flowing batches beat one fused-together batch every time.
- The sauce is half the dish — soy, rice vinegar, sesame and a pinch of sugar, with chili oil on the side for those who want the photo’s fire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Green cabbage or Napa cabbage — which is better?
Both work. Napa (Chinese leaf) is naturally softer and sweeter and wraps a little more easily; green cabbage leaves are sturdier, slightly more cabbage-forward in flavor, and hold up better to freezing. The pin’s pale, ruffled leaves look like green cabbage; use whichever head looks freshest.
Can I pan-fry them instead of steaming?
Yes — treat them like potstickers: a film of oil in a nonstick pan, parcels seam-down for 2 minutes to crisp the bottoms, then a splash of water and a lid for 6-7 minutes to steam through. The cabbage will not get the steamer’s glassy translucency, but the crisped edges are wonderful.
What other fillings work?
Ground chicken or turkey with the same seasonings, shrimp chopped with pork, or a vegetarian mix of crumbled firm tofu, mushrooms, carrot and glass noodles. Keep the ginger-garlic-soy-sesame backbone and almost anything tastes like it belongs in the leaf.
Can I freeze them?
Yes. Freeze the wrapped, uncooked parcels on a tray until solid, then bag for up to 2 months. Steam from frozen for 14-16 minutes — no thawing, and the cabbage holds up remarkably well.
Why did my parcels open in the steamer?
Three usual causes: the leaves were still wet (they slip), the parcels were overfilled (they burst), or they were placed seam-side up (they unroll). Dry leaves, 2 tablespoons of filling, seam down, and the steam seals them shut.