Stuffed Cabbage Rolls With Meat and Rice

This dish is a very healthy and diverse dish. It is a Middle Eastern dish with very good flavors. It is a traditional Lebanese dish. In Arabic, this dish is called “Malfouf”. It takes a while to cook but is so worth the wait. It consists of mainly cabbage, rice and ground beef.

1 cabbage washed

½ lb of ground beef

1 cup of rice washed and drained

4 garlic cloves peeled

2 teaspoons of coriander cumin powder

2 table spoons of olive oil

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pepper

1 can of tomato paste

3 lemons

A cabbage head should have around 35 rolled cabbage leaves. Cut the bottom of the cabbage so it is easier to peel. Then cut the cabbage in half as the picture above.. Now boil the cabbage so the leaves are easier to tear apart. Make sure you fill the pot with water so the full cabbage is in water. Have the heat at low and boil the cabbage for 20-30 minutes. Place the cabbage on a cutting board and let it cool down. When it is cool enough, start peeling the leaves.

You can use any type of rice but I would recommend using basmati rice. For a healthier option you can always use brown rice instead of white rice. Be sure to rise out the rice a couple of times to ensure its clean. Keep washing it until the water is clear. Then drained the water and dry the rice.

Now add the beef to the washed and drained rice.

Then to the rice and ground beef bowl, add your salt, pepper, and coriander cumin powder. Make sure you mince the garlic and add it here as well.

Lay each cabbage leaf one bye one on a cutting board.Spread 1 table spoon of meat stuffing along the edge of the leaf, then roll it slowly and tightly over the meat.

Place all the cabbage leaves in the bowl side by side. Place the rolls with the greenest leaves on the bottom of the pot since they need more heat to cook.

Now add water to top all of the cabbage. Then you will add the tomato paste can and the olive oil. Squeeze 3 lemons on the top of this as well.

Place a heavy plate inside the pot like showed on top of the rolls, cover the pot, and turn on the stove on high heat for about 20-30 minutes until they boil.Then change the heat to very low and let them simmer slowly for 1 to 1.5 hours (until the cabbage is fully cooked and is no longer hard but more of a mushy consistency).

When you feel it and the cabbage feels squishy, take off the plate. Flip over and serve.