STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
This recipe is from my dear friend. We met a few months back and have been very close since then. This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is from her. We had a get-together last week and she prepared this for us. We cooked a lot of other dishes too like St. Antonio’s dip (I’ll post that recipe soon), Egyptian-style prawns, prawn bajjis, channa masala, vegetable briyani, dhal, baby potato fry, and brownie pudding. My dear friend had prepared these cabbage rolls twice for us since we loved it so much.

This traditional Egyptian recipe does take a lot of time and patience to prepare but the result is simply amazing. You have to try this one to see what I am saying ;)

INGREDIENTS:
1. Cabbage, 1 big head.
2. Regular rice, 2 cups. (Basmati rice does not go well with these rolls).
3. Dill leaves, 1 small bunch.
4. Tomato sauce, 2 small cans.
5. Cilantro, 1 big bunch.
6. Serrano chilies, 2.
7. Salt as per taste.

PROCEDURE:
Wash the cilantro and dill and chop them finely and keep aside. Dice the Serrano chilies finely (the seeds can be removed if you prefer a less-spicy version). Wash the whole head of the cabbage. Heat a big pot with 7-8 cups of water. When the water starts to boil, put the cabbage into the pot and blanch for 5-10 minutes. Remove it from the water and let it cool. Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped herbs and the chilies and fry everything for a few seconds. Then add 1 can of tomato sauce along with salt and mix well. When the sauce starts to bubble, add 2 cups of rice and keep sautéing the rice until the rice has soaked up all the liquid and turns dry. Switch off the stove and let it cool.

Using tongs, remove the leaves of the cabbage one by one. Take one leaf and place around 1 teaspoon of the rice into the leaf. Start rolling the cabbage from the other end. The rolling should be tight. Arrange the rolls in the pot side by side without stacking them. When all the rolls have been placed in the pot, pour another can of tomato sauce with 2-3 cups of water gently over the rolls and add chopped cilantro over the top. Close the pot and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes until the rice is cooked and serve hot.