Red Mosquito

This thread can be about kimchi just as easily as it can be about borscht. Therein lies the greatness of cabbage, that versatile mutant leaf of the soilscape.

I was in a pretty interesting conversation just now with the guys who run the hot dog cart out front of the bar. We were discussing cole slaw and how so few places truly get it right. For a cole slaw to really hit the high notes, the cabbage needs to be cut in such a way that it retains its crunch. None of this super stringy shredded cabbage. Also, an oversaturated slaw is just sugary gloop, but a rightly sauced slaw can be one of the best ways to experience a cabbage.

Switching gears a bit, one of my go-to power foods from a local gorcery is something called "cabbage ecstacy" which is a kind of raw cabbage roll full of lentils and other legumes. The way the cabbage works as the vessel for the filling is just as its namesake suggests.

i'll be in palm springs this coming weekend..i always hit up sherman's deli for cabbage rolls

washing machine wrote:I was in a pretty interesting conversation just now with the guys who run the hot dog cart out front of the bar. We were discussing cole slaw and how so few places truly get it right. For a cole slaw to really hit the high notes, the cabbage needs to be cut in such a way that it retains its crunch. None of this super stringy shredded cabbage. Also, an oversaturated slaw is just sugary gloop, but a rightly sauced slaw can be one of the best ways to experience a cabbage.

tell us a little bit about those hot dogs too

washing machine wrote:Switching gears a bit, one of my go-to power foods from a local gorcery is something called "cabbage ecstacy" which is a kind of raw cabbage roll full of lentils and other legumes. The way the cabbage works as the vessel for the filling is just as its namesake suggests.

that sounds so good.

doug rr wrote:

washing machine wrote:I was in a pretty interesting conversation just now with the guys who run the hot dog cart out front of the bar. We were discussing cole slaw and how so few places truly get it right. For a cole slaw to really hit the high notes, the cabbage needs to be cut in such a way that it retains its crunch. None of this super stringy shredded cabbage. Also, an oversaturated slaw is just sugary gloop, but a rightly sauced slaw can be one of the best ways to experience a cabbage.

tell us a little bit about those hot dogs too

Oh man. I love these guys. The cart started as an undergrad project with some UH students a couple of years ago, and they're keeping it going. Flat top grill setup. All their dogs have a squeeze of sriracha mayo inside a butterflied all beef frank. They get a little crazy with some of their dogs (crushed Doritos, crispy shallots...) but my go-to is just a good ol' sauerkraut and mustard. Dogs are big enough that you only need one.

gonna stay upwind from this thread

hip hip

tragabigzanda wrote:You guys ever had Russian stuffed cabbage? Boy howdy.

I've had stuffed cabbage at a Polish restaurant.

epilogue wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:You guys ever had Russian stuffed cabbage? Boy howdy.

I've had stuffed cabbage at a Polish restaurant.

But did it have Russians stuffing it?

Not sure how different it is from the stuffed cabbage you guys are talking about, but Lebanese cuisine has these cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice that are fucking bomb, I love them

I assume cabbage is a hearty crop that can flourish most anywhere, which explains why it’s so prevalent in many cuisines.

tragabigzanda wrote:

Jorge wrote:Not sure how different it is from the stuffed cabbage you guys are talking about, but Lebanese cuisine has these cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice that are fucking bomb, I love them

Very similar!

They have some other spices in there and are topped with lime juice, so incredibly good

wease wrote:

epilogue wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:You guys ever had Russian stuffed cabbage? Boy howdy.

I've had stuffed cabbage at a Polish restaurant.

But did it have Russians stuffing it?

Great question

Jorge wrote:Not sure how different it is from the stuffed cabbage you guys are talking about, but Lebanese cuisine has these cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice that are fucking bomb, I love them

that looks amazing

Looks fantastic. That's a lot like the cabbage ecstasy I was talking about earlier in this thread, but with meat. I'd like to learn the method of tenderizing cabbage enough to use it like this.