Runza redo

Before I met my husband, I had never heard of a runza, let alone the popular chain restaurant of the same name that is all over Nebraska. On a trip to Lincoln last year, I asked him about the restaurant, but he said he wasn’t a fan of the beef and cabbage pies. I was intrigued, but I never got to try one. So when I ran across a recipe in Cooking Light that was based on a runza, but used Asian flavors, my curiosity got the best of me. I have no idea what a traditional runza tastes like, but these are delicious. I modified the recipe to use a whole head of cabbage, and that meant we had plenty of leftovers to stick in the freezer for later.

Click below for recipe

Korean-Spiced Beef and Cabbage Rolls, adapted from Cooking Light

Filling:
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 pound ground sirloin
Cooking spray
1 head, about 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

Dough:
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (we were out, so I used flax seeds)

Preheat oven to 375°.To prepare filling, combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef mixture to pan; cook 8 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Stir in cabbage; cook 6 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Remove from heat; cool completely.
To prepare dough, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine water, honey, and canola oil, stirring with a whisk. Add water mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); cover and let stand 5 minutes.
Roll dough into a 16 x 15–inch square (about 1/4-inch-thick) on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 16 (4-inch) squares. Working with 1 square at a time (cover remaining dough with a towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture into center of each square. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place rolls, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Combine 1 tablespoon water and egg white in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Lightly brush tops of dough with egg white mixture; sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until rolls are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire racks.