Stuffed Cabbage Roll

Level of difficulty: Medium

Serving:5-10 people

Prep-time:35 min

Cooking time: 90 min

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. "I Corinthians 13:4-7

It’s the month of love and what better way to show the person you love by making them something amazing to eat. This is a relatively challenging meal to assemble, yet rewarding. You don’t need a lot of money to cook something great. Give it a try!  

INGREDIENTS

10 outer cabbage leaves (or more)

500g beef mince (raw)

1 clove garlic (finely chopped)

1 large onion (finely chopped)

¼ cup plain cooked rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking oil (olive/vegetable)

4 medium tomatoes (blended/grated

Spices of your choice

3 TBS tomato paste

Foil paper

METHOD

1. In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a rapid boil and blanch cabbage leaves for about 2 minutes.

2. Remove from water and set aside to drain.

3.To make the sauce, heat up a TBSP of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add ¼ of the chopped onion and garlic and stir continuously until golden brown (do not burn them). Add the tomatoes, spices and the tomato paste and cook till tomatoes are cooked through. (It shouldn’t be too watery or too thick).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a bowl, combine raw mince, cooked rice, ¾ of the chopped onion, spices, salt and pepper.  Mix well.

5.  Lay a cabbage leaf flat on a clean board, get a TBSP of the mince and place it slightly towards the end of the leaf (near you). Begin to roll in a firm but gentle way. When approaching the end, fold in the sides and roll to avoid the mince spilling out of the sides.

6.  Face the cabbage rolls downwards to avoid them opening. Repeat the process again till everything is done.

7.   If you have a Pyrex dish, arrange the rolls gently inside and pour the sauce over. Cover it with the Pyrex dish lid or foil paper (tightly). Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 1h 30 min.

8.   If you don’t have a Pyrex dish, in a large pan, arrange the cabbage rolls in the pan and pour the sauce over and cover with a lid that doesn’t allow moisture to escape and simmer on low heat for 1h 30 min.

9.   Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with some nice spicy rice / salad or even as it is. It’s yummy and healthy. Serve over a candle lit table and enjoy!!

CHEFTIPS & DEFINITIONS

·        To blanch is to place something in rapidly salted water for 2-5 minutes in an uncovered pot.

·        Cut the hard stalk in the middle of the cabbage leaf to make it easier to roll.

·        The dish doesn’t need to be heavily spiced and is great eaten as is especially for those trying to lose some pounds/KGs; it can be eaten on its own.

·        If you like pork, combine 250g pork mince and 250g beef mince.

·        Be patient when rolling, if you don’t get it the first time, try again.

Mulaye Mwendafilumba

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