Cabbage Rolls

There are endless ways of stuffing the marvellous vegetable that is cabbage. I grew up eating cabbage rolls in Cairo in an intersection between Egyptian and Greek traditional styles. Following your craving, you may seek a different recipe. On a Saturday afternoon, I found myself longing for Egyptian cabbage rolls. Now, you may tell me…what do you mean by the ‘Egyptian style’?  Surely, there isn’t just one way and I would agree. Let me tell you what I am talking about. I am talking about the kind you eat out of rectangular tin foil plates in the streets of Cairo, the one that is so tender, barely any chewing is involved in eating them. The kind that my grandpa, Papou, would sneak into the kitchen behind my grandma’s back with. Here is how I make mine when I am away from home…

  • Choosing your cabbage. This may be the most important step and will define how pleasant the process will be. You need leaves that will be easy to roll and that won’t lead you to regret your life decisions. In Egypt, we commonly use flat cabbage. However, it may be difficult to find in many places. Whilst this method may work with most cabbages, look for the cabbage that is not too compact. You want the leaves to be delicate and easy to separate from each other. I have tried this recipe using hispi cabbage and savoy cabbage. Both worked wonderfully. Avoid tough white cabbage. 

  • Preparing your leaves. You may want to do this step in advance. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and blanch the pulled-apart leaves for 1-2 minutes. You may blanch 2-3 leaves at a time. Depending on your cabbage leaves, you may need less or more time. I would suggest testing with the first two leaves. You want your leaves to be easy enough to roll, that they won’t pull back once rolled, but you don’t want them to break apart. Now comes the time of cutting them. Here, I would say that there is no strict rule. People enjoy different sizes of cabbage rolls. In Egypt, rolls are on the smaller side. Take your cabbage leaf, cut out the tough stem and put aside. Now, you can cut 8cm x 6cm rectangles which will be your roll canvas. Don’t worry too much about your rectangles being perfectly neat - you simply want your rolls to be roughly similar in size. You will find that with the smaller leaves close to the core of the cabbage, there’s no way of cutting a rectangle. At this point, you can use the whole leaf or cut it in half. Trust your instinct. 

  • Preparing your stuffing. In a pan over medium-high heat, add 4 tbsp neutral oil and 1 tbsp butter. Sauté one finely diced large onion (or two small). Once the onion is translucent, add 1 tbsp (heaped) of tomato paste. Add 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of dried coriander, 1 tsp of chilli flakes (optional), and 1 tsp of salt. Once the smell invades your kitchen and the tomato paste slightly darkens, add 1 can of tomatoes (225g), preferably blended till smooth or crushed. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Add more salt as needed. Take off the heat and let your tomato sauce cool whilst you thoroughly wash 250g of white rice (preferably short grain). Finely chop all the herbs you love - I personally add parsley, coriander, mint and dill. Feel free to use less/more depending on your preferences. Combine your rice, tomato sauce and herbs together. Add 1-2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses and more salt if needed. Thoroughly mix everything together. Taste for seasoning adjustment!

  • Time for rolling. Place one heaped teaspoon of the filling onto the rougher side of your cabbage leaf. I place the filling towards the end of the leaf; leaving space to gently roll. Don’t worry about rolling the sides in. You want your cabbage leaves to be firmly rolled, but not too tight as the rice will expand during the cooking process. 

  • Filling your pot. Place the cabbage stems and extra trimmings on the bottom of the pot. This will prevent your cabbage rolls from burning. Carefully layer the stuffed cabbage rolls into your pot, arranging them neatly but not too tightly. 

  • Cooking the cabbage rolls. Prepare 2 cups of broth (you can use most types of broth) with 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Taste your broth to make sure it is well salted. Pour the broth over the cabbage rolls, until they *just about* cover the top layer. Gently place a heat-resistant plate directly over the cabbage leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and leave to simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. It is important to keep an eye on your cabbage rolls. When they’re ready, the broth will have absorbed, the rice will be fully cooked and your rolls will be magically tender. Test one, two, three or more cabbage rolls for doneness, ensuring they’re ready. If your pot has dried before the rolls are ready, add more broth (or hot salted water if you have run out) and let cook for 5-10 more minutes. 

FINALE:  Cabbage rolls are usually to be eaten whilst they’re still hot. Enjoy them as they are, or with yogurt if you would like. 

Recipe

Ingredients

1 whole cabbage

4 tbsp neutral oil 

1 large red onion, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 can of tomatoes, 225 gm

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 

250gm short grain white rice 

Fresh bunches of herbs (parsley, dill, mint,...), to taste

1-2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 

2 cups broth and 1 tbsp tomato paste

Method

Step 1 - Prepare the leaves - Carefully pull apart the cabbage leaves. You may do so by putting the cabbage upside down on a flat surface and removing a part of the core with a knife. Wash well. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and carefully blanch 2-3 cabbage leaves at a time for 1-2 minutes, until soft enough to roll but not to tear apart. 

Step 2 - Place each individual cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Remove the tough core and cut out 8cm x 6cm rectangles, or wonkier canvas that are suitable for rolling. Put aside on a plate.

Step 3 - The tomato sauce - In a pan over medium-high heat, add 4 tbsp neutral oil and 1 tbsp butter. Sauté one finely diced large onion (or two small). Once the onion is translucent, add tomato paste, then add cumin, dried coriander, chilli flakes and salt. Once the tomato paste slightly darkens, add 1 can of tomatoes (225g), preferably blended till smooth or crushed. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Add more salt as needed. Take off the heat and let your tomato sauce slightly cool.  

Step 4 - Thoroughly wash and drain 250g of white rice (preferably short grain). Finely chop herbs, using less/more depending on your preferences. Combine your rice, tomato sauce and herbs together. Add 1-2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses and more salt if needed. Thoroughly mix everything together. 

Step 5 - Place one heaped teaspoon of the filling onto the rougher side of your cabbage leaf. I place the filling towards the end of the leaf; leaving space to gently roll. Roll firmly but not too compact in order to leave space for the rice to expand. 

Step 6 - Filling the pot:  Place extra cabbage trimmings and herb stems into the bottom of a medium pot. Layer cabbage rolls, ensuring a neat, but not too tight order. 

Step 7 -  Mix 2 cups of broth with 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Taste and adjust salt, this is your last chance to season your rolls ! Pour broth over the rolls until the top layer is covered. Place a heat-resistant plate over the rolls and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until rolls are tender and rice is fully cooked. Add more broth if the pot is dry before the rolls are fully cooked. 
Step 8 - Turn off heat and allow your cabbage rolls to rest for 10-15 minutes before plating and serving whilst they are warm.