Malfouf (Lebanese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Lebanese stuffed cabbage rolls with ground beef, rice, and warm spices, simmered in a lemon-garlic broth until tender. A slow-cooked comfort dish that tastes even better the next day.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup short grain rice such as Egyptian rice
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp 7 spice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
For Cooking
- 2 lemons juice of
- 12 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 cups hot water
Instructions
Prepare The Cabbage:
- Cut the core from the cabbage and crave it out completely. This is to make sure the leave detach easily later when cooked.
- Place the head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water. As the leaves soften and loosen, peel them off one at a time using a pair of tongs. Set aside to cool. Be patient: the leaves will separate easily when they are ready. Remove the leaves one by one and place them in a colander to cool.
Prepare The Filling:
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, rice, onion, seven spice, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well combined.
Roll The Cabbage Leaves:
- Lay each leaf flat and cut alongside the thick white stem to create two halves. Reserve all stems and small leaves to line the bottom of the pot.
- Place a small amount of filling near the base of each leaf half and roll tightly. Do not overfill. There is no need to fold the edges as the cabbage leaves are sturdy enough to keep the filling.
- Repeat until all the cabbage leaves and filling is used.
Cook The Malfouf
- Line the bottom of a large, deep pot with the reserved cabbage stems and small leaves.
- Arrange the rolls seam-side down in a snug layer. Scatter a third of the sliced garlic over the top, squeeze over some lemon juice, and sprinkle with cumin, salt, and pepper. Repeat for each layer until you run out of stuffed cabbages leaves.
- Place a heatproof plate upside down on top of the rolls to weigh them down.
- Add enough water to cover the rolls by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and gently simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the rolls are very tender and the rice and beef are fully cooked. Check midway to see if you need more salt and lemon juice.
- Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve with yogurt and more lemon.
Notes
- The stems and small leaves lining the pot absorb all the spices and juices and are delicious. Do not throw them away.
- Season generously between each layer of rolls. The garlic, lemon, cumin, salt, and pepper between the layers is what makes the whole pot taste deeply seasoned.
- If you have leftover filling, you can use it to stuff other vegetables such as tomatoes, small eggplants or peppers.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1057mg | Potassium: 615mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4mg