Lebanese Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls
I've modified my family's traditional Lebanese malfouf mahshi recipe to craft delectable vegetarian cabbage rolls suitable for those following a vegan diet. These tender rolls are cooked in a tangy, mint-infused broth that'll make you crave more.
Servings: 36 pieces
Calories: 69kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Cabbage Napa or Cannonball. This will be used to roll and the stalks will be used in the base of the pot when cooking the rolls.
- Water to boil the leaves in
Cabbage base (to be put into the base of the pot)
- 1 medium Brown onion diced
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 1 tablespoon Pomegranate molasses
- 2 cups Water
Hashweh (Rice Filling)
- 2 cups Basmati rice or medium or long-grain rice
- 1 tablespoon Fresh mint finely chopped (heaped spoonful)
- ½ small Brown onion finely diced
- 1½ tsp Salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoon Parsley finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice sub - all spice
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper cracked
- 1 tsp Dried mint powder format
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
- ½ head Garlic crushed
- 1 med Tomato Ripe and finely diced
Cabbage Topping
- 1 tablespoon Dairy free butter sub - olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dried mint
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 pinch Cumin
- ½ head Garlic sliced
- 1 small Lemon juice fresh
- ½ cup Water Or enough to just cover the edges of the plate when pushed down
Instructions
- Soak rice in room temperature water (for at least 15 minutes)2 cups Basmati rice
Preparing Cabbage
- Cut the outer leaves and roughly chop up. Set aside in a bowl.Cut the cabbage about ¾ down from the top (not lengthways - see pic in the above article or video). Cut away the larger stalks from the loose leaves and stack leaves on top of each other. Chop up the cut stalks and add them to the stalk bowl in step 1.1 Cabbage
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and place cabbage leaves in. Boil them until tender and just malleable. Carefully place leaves in a colander to remove excess water and allow them to cool down.Water
Preparing hashweh (rice filling)
- 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.2 cups Basmati rice, 1 tbsp Fresh mint, ½ small Brown onion, 1½ tsp Salt, 3 tbsp Parsley, 1 tsp Lebanese 7 spice, ½ tsp Cumin, ½ tsp Black pepper, 1 tsp Dried mint, 2 tbsp Olive oil, ½ head Garlic, 1 med Tomato
Preparing Cabbage Base
- In a large pot, heat up olive oil and dairy-free butter 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.1 medium Brown onion, 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tbsp dairy free butter, 1 tbsp Pomegranate molasses, 2 cups Water
Preparing Cabbage Rolls
- Lay each cabbage leaf flat and add a spoonful amount of rice filling parallel to an edge of the leaf leaving a once centimetre gap (this will become the flap).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 each roll aside. Repeat until all cabbage leaves are used.
Cooking Cabbage Rolls
- Add rolled cabbage leaves into the pot on top of the cabbage base. Alternating the layer directions. Sprinkle all topping ingredients on top of the layers of cabbage rolls. Place a heatproof plate on top and push down with your hand. The water from the cabbage base should submerge the outer edge of the plate. If not, add water. Bring malfouf to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low-med and cook for 30-45 minutes. Serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice.1 tbsp Dairy free butter, ½ tsp Dried mint, 1 tsp Salt, 1 pinch Cumin, ½ head Garlic, ½ cup Water, 1 small Lemon juice
Video
Notes
Use smaller pieces of leaf to mend larger ripped pieces by layering on top before rolling.
Adding too much rice filling in a malfouf roll can tear the leaf 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.
Add the darker cabbage leaf rolls at the bottom of the pot when layering. As these are the older leaves and can take more heat to cook.
The weight of the plate on top of the malfouf mahshi ensures the layers and rolls stay intact and don’t move around whilst boiling.
Always adjust the salt in this recipe to taste. Malfouf has a subtle taste.
Once cooked, the water in the pot should have evaporated and only a tiny amount should be left.
You may also like these recipes, vegan stuffed peppers or stuffed eggplant
Nutrition
Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 69IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg