Lebanese stuffed cabbage rolls
Yield: 12 rolls. 3 serving of 4 rolls: 385 Kcal[proteins: 5.7, carbs: 45.8, fat: 18.7]
Ingredients
- Boiling water to bleach the cabbage leaves
- small head Green cabbage
- 1 cup White rice raw washed until the water comes out clean then drained
- ½ cup Yellow onion finely chopped
- ⅓ cup Tomato deseeded finely chopped
- 10 big leaves Mint leaf fresh finely chopped
- ¼ cup Parsley finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- ½ tsp Salt
- ⅓ tsp White pepper
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp Pomegranate molasses
For the sauce
- 1 small Tomato deseeded and grated about 1/3 cup
- 1 tsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Water
- ⅓ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pomegranate molasses
Instructions
Bleaching the cabbage leaves:
- Then bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Using a sharp knife, carve out around the root to remove it, maki sure to go as deep as you can. This step allows the cabbage leaves to loosen up easily.
- Remove the pot of boiling water from the heat and submerge the cabbage into it. Leave it there for 15 to 20 min. We need them tender enough to roll them easily. Using kitchen tongs, grab the cabbage leaves one by one from their root to detach them from from each other. Then place them in a colander to drain.
The rice filling:
- In a large bowl, mix together: the washed drained rice, onions, tomatoes, mint, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, salt, white pepper and ground cinnamon.
Rolling the cabbage leaves:
- Get a large pot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and place at the bottom some roughly chopped cabbage leaves (you can also use sliced potatoes or carrots).
- Let's make the tomato sauce. Blend together the grated tomato, tomato paste, water, pomegranate molasses, salt and white pepper. Set aside until needed.
- Lay each cabbage leaf on a smooth surface or a plate, add about 2 tablespoons of stuffing making sure they don't reach the edges (depending of the size of the leaf, you may need to add less or more stuffing).
- Roll the leaf on it self as you would do a sushi roll. Do not worry about folding the edges.
- Place the rolled cabbage leave at the bottom of the pan with the rolled side facing down. The rolls should be placed tightly to each other (it protects the rolls from breaking when the rice expands while cooking).
- Pour all extra liquids from the filling mixture plus the tomato sauce over the rolls.
- Place a heavy plate upside down on top of the rolls (as seen in the pictures). Put the lid on and cook over low heat for about 45 min - 50 min until the cabbage is soft and the rice is cooked.
- Serve warm or cold with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Enjoy !
