What is sugarloaf cabbage? - Food Files

Dec 12, 2024

Is it time to turn over a new leaf?

Cabbage has long been relegated to that forgotten corner at the back of the fridge. You always buy it with some grand plans to make something of it, but you usually end up passing it over for one of the more interesting brassicas, like broccoli. And we all know that broccoli isn’t that interesting.

Sure, cabbage may make an appearance at a barbecue in some tangy slaw to cut through a smoked brisket, or as a vehicle for the filling in cabbage rolls, but it’s always been a support act. It’s never been the star of the show. Until now.

I speak specifically of sugarloaf cabbage. The smaller, conical shaped brassica is popping up all over menus – and not just as a side dish or an option for vegetarians.

I first had it at Poetica in North Sydney, where it was charred over the woodfire grill and served with pickled peppers and fried garlic to cut through a rich hollandaise. It was a revelation. The blackened, smoky leaves hid a soft, sweet centre that I kept going back to.

A close-up photo of a brown and cream cabbage dish in a white plate on a white table at restaurant Poetica

I’m such a convert that I now order it whenever I see it on a menu. And I’m seeing it a lot more. At The Dry Dock in Balmain, the grilled vegetable came with speck, creamed yoghurt, currants, chives and red wine vinaigrette. At The Basin Dining Room in Mona Vale, it sat atop a lemony eggplant puree.

This range of sugarloaf cabbage dishes speaks to its versatility. It has a Middle Eastern flavour at Gerard’s Bistro in Brisbane, with green mabooj and tarama. Miss Mi in Melbourne has an Asian influence, with onion curry, apple achcharu and crispy potato. Stokehouse in St Kilda serves it with seaweed and tarragon for a mod Oz touch. It has an Italian flavour at Kew’s Mister Bianco, where the leaves are stuffed with ricotta and herbs.

Sugarloaf cabbage on a white plate topped with finely chopped rich, dark ingredients.

Sugarloaf cabbage with speck, creamed yoghurt, currants, chives and red wine vinaigrette

The Dry Dock head chef Ben Sitton believes sugarloaf cabbage’s newfound popularity is due to the fact that it pairs perfectly with smoke.

“When you grill it and smoke it and burn it, it enhances the flavours of the natural sugars in the cabbage,” Sitton says. “It becomes really sweet, juicy and brings out the vegetable’s complexity.”

The shape of the sugarloaf makes it an easier vegetable to play with compared to other varieties of cabbage, too.

“It’s less dense,” Sitton says. “The leaf is a little bit looser, so you can get those flavours right through the cabbage. We have speck on there, which gives it that lovely pork fat, there’s sweetness from currants, the chives are savoury and it sits on a bed of labneh, which is creamy, and the red wine vinaigrette gives it acidity. It’s a great, balanced dish.

“The cabbage itself is also very adaptable. I use it raw on my pork sandwich, because of its sweetness and juiciness.”

Three halves of sugarleaf cabbage roasting over coals — @beachbyronbay

How to cook sugarloaf cabbage

For those who want to play at home, Sitton recommends first grilling it before cooking it in a hot oven.

“You could do it on a hibachi or over charcoal – you want to get that beautiful colour and smokiness going through it when you grill it,” he says. “Then finish it off in the oven, 190°C, for a few minutes,” he says.

Sitton is also seeing more restaurants putting sugarloaf cabbage on the menu.

“It’s a great vegetable, and I think one that more people are using now,” he says. “I think it’s a fad. There are classic items like brussels sprouts on the menu every year, but other vegetables get rotated around, like heirloom carrots and sugarloaf cabbage.

“They might be in a menu somewhere, and a chef goes, ‘We haven’t done that in a long time,’ so they get it going and then everyone gets onboard.”

A green sugarloaf cabbage dish in a cream round bowl on a dark timber surface

Sugarloaf cabbage with green mabooj and tarama at Gerard’s Bistro, Brisbane

Chef Jimmy Richardson believes that sugarloaf cabbage’s versatility and natural sweetness pair perfectly with Middle Eastern flavours.

“For me, it’s not just a supporting player, but can truly take centre stage in a dish,” he says.

“I love working with it because of its unique texture and flavour profile, which responds beautifully to charring, fermentation and even subtle dressings.”

Sugarloaf cabbage with seaweed and tarragon at Stokehouse, Melbourne

Executive chef Jason Staudt says sugarloaf cabbage is a fixture on the Stokehouse menu.

“You’ll find sugarloaf done three ways – raw, fried and roasted alongside a strong tarragon dressing to bring out that sweetness, as well as some seaweed from the bay for added texture,” he says.

Roasted sugarloaf cabbage with yellow tomato sugo at Mister Bianco, Melbourne

Chef Joe Vargetto says this dish was on the menu last year, and while it’s no longer an a la carte option, it is an off-menu request for vegan diners and is also on the restaurant’s functions menu.

“The natural sweetness of sugarloaf complements savoury and tangy flavours, and the crunchy texture holds well with sauces, so the yellow tomato sugo and orange juice works with it deliciously,” he says.

“As does the almond milk ricotta, which complements the lightness of the cabbage, while the herbs elevate the dish by adding aromatic qualities and work with the sugarloaf’s subtle flavours. The cabbage balances all the flavours and creates depth.”

Sugarloaf cabbage, pickled peppers and fried garlic at Poetica Bar & Grill, Sydney

Head chef Leo Wurtz believes the beauty of the vegetable is that its natural sugars caramelise when grilled, while the leaves hold onto that smoky flavour.

“It’s one of those dishes that isn’t typically highlighted as the star of the show, but once you have a great one, you’ll take notice,” he says. “It’s a classic.

“Our grilled sugarloaf cabbage is served with a house-made smoked garlic vinegar and brown butter hollandaise for a super-rich, umami, smoky flavour that’s also a little acidic. Sweet biquinho peppers and fried garlic on top finish it off nicely.”