Saturday, November 19, 2011

Stuffed Cabbage...Arabian Style

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Going to attempt another Arabic dish tonight.  This is from the same website Ya Salam Cooking.  The Arabic name for this dish is Malfouf.  I grew up eating stuffed cabbage and though my grandmother's recipe (Grandma's Pigs in the Blanket) is different, there are still some similarities.  
The seasoning in this was amazing.  Loved the taste.  The original recipe called for less tomato sauce, but I like it a bit more saucy.  If you prefer less, just cut it back a bit.  :)
Great dish. 

Happy cooking!  !سعيد الطبخ




Ingredients:
1 head of green cabbage
1 chicken bouillon cube 
1 lb ground beef (or lamb)
1 cup basmati rice (soaked for at least 30 minutes, then drain)
2 onions finely chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (aka coriander here in Saudi)
1 Tbs black pepper
1 Tbs ground coriander (the kind in the seasoning jar)
1 Tbs cumin
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
1 can tomato sauce (14oz)
butter


Directions:
1. Remove core from cabbage head, and place in a saucepan and fill water until reaches cabbage top, add the chicken cube. (You could just use broth here instead, they just don't carry liquid broth at the stores here!)  Cook on medium heat for 35 minutes, until cabbage is soft.

2. In a skillet on medium heat add onion, garlic, 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, pepper, salt, cumin and ground coriander. Cook until the onion is tender. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, drained rice, veggie/spice mixture, salt and fresh cilantro. Mix well with hands. In a large pot, place 2 cooked cabbage leave on bottom of pan.

4. Carefully take cabbage leaves off one at a time. Use a knife to trim thick membrane so it is level with the rest of the leaf.  This makes it easier to roll up. Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the middle of each leaf. Fold in each small side then roll the long sides into a cigar shape. Carefully place each roll into the pot, tight together. After you have made one level add a few pats of butter on top, continue doing this until your last level is complete. Pour tomato sauce into pan, and then add water until it covers the bottom level of your top row (it should not go over the rolls but slightly under).

5. Place a plate that will easily fit into pan on top of rolls to keep from moving around. Cover pot with a lid and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes.

Makes: 15-25 rolls





6 comments:

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I just made stuffed cabbage for the first time. I had them often (at friends' houses) growing up but never made them. Mine were pretty simple; yours have great seasonings!

Staci said...

I'd never made ones quite like these either! :) Loved the new flavors.

Noor said...

Wow mashAllah you did a great job :) My mil uses ground chicken in hers and its AMAZING you should try that sometime. Thats funny you know in TN we can lil sauages in biscuits pigs in a blankets.

Staci said...

LOL...yeah, those are what most people know as Pigs in the blanket...when I asked my grandmother where the name came from for her stuffed cabbage, she just said "that's what my mother always called it." :) Thanks for the great recipe...we really liked it! (and ground chicken sounds yummy!)

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

Had to come back and tell you my SIL told me she makes pigs "between the sheets" -- just layers the cabbage, meat and sauce, like lasagna. Lazy day idea.

Staci said...

I like that idea! quick and easy! Thanks for sharing. :)

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