Malfouf (Lebanese Cabbage Rolls)

Malfouf is Lebanese cabbage rolls stuffed with rice. This is a delicious vegan Malfouf mahshi recipe that the whole family will adore.

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Jump to:

• 🥘Ingredients
• 🔪Cooking Instructions
• 📝Recipe Notes
• 💭Recipe Tips
• 🥄Serving Suggestions
• 🗒️Recipe variations
• ⚙️Equipment
• 🔖Other One Pot Vegan Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Community

You know when you cook something and it smells uniquely good?! This is one of those recipes.

The minty smell is unmistakable. It means Malfouf is cooking and a feast is about to be had.

The word cabbage in Arabic is ‘malfouf’ which is also the word for ‘rolled’. 

So this recipe is known as Malfouf or Malfouf mehshi. You may recall ‘mehshi’ translates to ‘stuffed’ just like in these recipes Stuffed Eggplant Batinjan Mehshi or Kousa Mahshi aka stuffed zucchini or mahshi selek, stuffed silverbeet leaves.

I do love anything stuffed, for something a little different try stuffed peppers with butternut squash and quinoa.

I love making these Lebanese cabbage rolls. The process is therapeutic. The rolling process really does help to clear our busy minds. 

It’s also fun to make with someone, I last made Malfouf with mum. It’s a great way to be productive, chat & make food. 

Now a vast majority of Middle Eastern people will know this particular type of malfouf recipe to be vegetarian cabbage rolls however they normally would use butter.

I highly recommend you watch the video for how to make malfouf mahshi recipe. It shows you exactly the processes from start to end. Making it a less daunting task.

Fundamental ingredients of this vegan Lebanese recipe are the Cabbage rolls spices & herbs. These should not be skimped on.

Learning how to make Lebanese cabbage rolls is fairly easy. It’s generally done in four parts.

1. Preparing the cabbage leaves. 
2. Preparing the rice filling, known in Arabic as hashweh.
3. Frying the cabbage base
4. Rolling and then cooking.

Cut Malfouf about ¾ down (not lengthways)

Let’s get into how to cook Malouf recipe;

🥘Ingredients

Here are some notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this recipe successful

1 head of cabbage (common green cabbage aka cannonball or Chinese cabbage) this will be used to make the base in the pot whilst cooking cabbage rolls and the Lebanese cabbage rolls

Hashweh (Rice filling)

White rice (I prefer to use basmati)

Mint a combination of both fresh and dried is used which really boosts the flavour.

Lebanese 7 spice (this can be substituted with All Spice if you can’t find any)

Garlic adds a delightful depth to the flavouring

Cabbage base (this is placed at the bottom of the pot)

Cabbage stalks - these are all from the same cabbage that the cabbage leaves were derived from. The stalks help to protect the rolls whilst cooking but also taste fabulous as they take on the flavour of the entire dish.

Pomegranate Molasses - the main flavouring that gives a wonderful sweet-sour taste, I don't recommend skipping this ingredient.

Cabbage topping (this is placed on top of the cabbage rolls in the pot)

Lemon - use only fresh lemon juice

Cumin - only a pinch is needed, too much will result in a bitter flavour

Water - to be used as needed to cover the outer edges of the plate placed on top of the cabbage rolls - see video.

Chopped cabbage stalks for the malfouf base

🔪Cooking Instructions

1. Soak rice in room temperature water, set this aside.

Preparing the Chinese Cabbage

1. Carefully cut the outer leaves off the cabbage at the base of the stalk and then cut the chinese cabbage in ¾ down (not lengthways). Pry apart the leaves from the top half and stack onto of each other
2. Sort the leaves by those with big stalks and those without 
3. For the leaves with the big stalks, trace and cut out the stalks and set the stalks aside separately with the leaves off the base. 
4. In a large pot, bring water to the boil, add cabbage leaves and boil them until they are tender enough to roll (no more than 5 minutes). Take leaves out and set aside in a tray to allow them to cool down
5. Cut up the stalks into chunky bite sized pieces and set these aside

Preparing the Hashweh (rice filling)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add drained rice, fresh mint, fresh parsley, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, 7 spice, cumin, black pepper, garlic, salt, dried mint. Mix all together and set aside.

Cabbage base

1. In a large pot, heat up olive oil and plant based spread over high heat and add onion. Fry until golden, then add cabbage stalks, pomegranate molasses, and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low, allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Simmer whilst you roll the cabbage leaves.

Rolling cabbage leaves

1. Lay each cabbage leaf flat and add approximately one tablespoon amount of rice filling parallel to an edge of the leaf leaving a once centimetre gap (this will become the flap)
2. Fold the flap of the cabbage leaf over the rice and then fold the outer short edges of the cabbage leaf to create the base parcel. Now roll the entire leaf into a roll. Set aside. Do this until all cabbage leaves are used.
3. Add rolled cabbage leaves into the pot on top of the cabbage base. Alternating the layer directions. Sprinkle the cabbage topping on top of the cabbage rolls. 
4. Place a heat proof plate on top of the cabbage leaves, and push down with your hand. The water from the cabbage base should submerge the outer edge of the plate. If not, add water as needed. Do a taste test of the water and adjust salt as needed.
5. Bring cabbage rolls to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low-med and cook until rice in cabbage rolls are cooked.
6. Serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice

📝Recipe Notes

The photos within this recipe show Chinese cabbage rolls. It is important to use a whole head of cabbage as the leaves need to be intact

As cabbages vary in weight and size, the number of pieces stipulated within this recipe is only indicative

Soaking rice helps to rid extra starch and keeps it from turning to mush

All ingredients in the hashweh (rice filling) should be finely diced, as anything chunky will be hard to wrap and tear the cabbage leaves

Always adjust the salt in this recipe to taste. Malfouf has a subtle taste.

Add the darker cabbage leaf rolls at the bottom of the pot when layering. As these are the older leaves and will need more heat to cook

The weight of the plate on top of the cabbage rolls ensures the layers and rolls stay intact and don’t move around whilst boiling

Once stuffed cabbage rolls are cooked, the water in the pot should have evaporated and only a tiny amount should be left

💭Recipe Tips

Use smaller pieces of cabbage leaf to mend larger ripped pieces by layering on top before rolling

Place boiled cabbage leaves in a colander to remove excess water

Adding too much rice filling in a cabbage roll can tear the cabbage rolls when they are cooking as the rice will expand. Add a spoonful size according to the size of the leaf. No two leaves will be the same.

Any leftover rice can be cooked separately on its own as a separate meal. 

🥄Serving Suggestions

Vegan Lebanese cabbage rolls can be enjoyed on their own with fresh shallots (scallion) - this really brings out the flavour. Or with a fresh simple salad such as one of Lebanon's national salads - fattoush.

🗒️Recipe variations

The original malfouf recipe contains a rice filling with ground beef or lamb rather than tomato and onion

⚙️Equipment

• Pot* - you will need one for boiling the cabbage leaves and one for cooking the recipe. I recommend using large pots.
• Colander* - this is used to drain the boiled cabbage leaves
• Slotted spoon* - to fish the boiled cabbage leaves from the boiling water.
• Tray* - As the cabbage leaves are wet, it's better to roll in a tray so that any wetness and mess is capture within the tray

🔖Other One Pot Vegan Recipes

• Lebanese Spinach Stew Sabanegh wa riz - a hearty, warming, and delicious stew reading in under 30 minutes
• Pearl Couscous Lebanese Moghrabieh - a spiced aromatic filling meal
• Barley Porridge - a savoury curried porridge that's big on taste. Wonderful for cooler weather
• Or if you're looking for another type of cabbage recipe, try Braised Red Cabbage by About Annella or Healthy Cabbage Soup by Fresh Coast Eats.
• For a light dessert try Muhalabia.

📖 Recipe