Malfouf Recipe - Mahshi Malfouf Rolls Recipe

Stuffed cabbage rolls make a delicious dish for the colder months! Preparing this dish is a bit time-consuming, but I promise it is worth it.

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Cabbage
• 1 ½ cups ground beef or ground lamb
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1 cup short grain rice
• Garlic, you need few whole garlic cloves peeled and some minced.
• Optional, you may use whole head of garlic with the peel in between the layers
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of the following spices: Cumin, Caraway, Coriander, Cinnamon, Salt and Black Pepper. You may use all the above spices or omit whichever you do not like to use.
• Cooking oil
• 1 cup Lemon juice
• 1 cup water or as needed

Preparation

1. Wash and drain rice
2. Mix up the ground meat, diced onions and rice; add cooking oil and the spices (Cumin, Caraway, Coriander, Salt and Black Pepper) set aside.
3. Prepare your cabbage leaves by separating the leaves from the cabbage head. Cut away stems, save them and use them at the bottom of the pot.
4. Boil the leaves a few at a time in boiling salted water until they are soft enough to roll.
5. Prepare stuffing of meat, rice, salt, pepper and the above spices
6. Cut the leaves to form a cigar size roll. Place stuffing on each leaf, fold sides toward center and roll up from bottom into a cigar shape (similar with stuffed vine leaves). Do not over stuff; make sure that you have space for the rice to expand inside the cabbage rolls.
7. Press together firmly. Place layer of the saved stems
8. Place the whole garlic heads in between the rolled Malfouf.
9. Sprinkle with salt, caraway and cumin in between layers. Add water, boil then simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Half way through the cooking time add crushed garlic on top. Let simmer. Simmer gently until rice is tender in barely enough water to cover. Invert your pot in a platter
10. You may serve this dish hot or at room temperature, depends on your personal taste.