Stuffed Cabbage (Malfoof)

5 from 3 votes

Cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, onions, garlic, ground meat and spices then simmered in delicious garlic and lemon broth. A hearty and soul-warming dish that hits the spot!

Prep Time1 45

Cook Time18

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: cabbage, malfoof, rice and meat stuffing, unstuffed cabbage

Servings: people

Author: Lama

Equipment

Pressure Cooker (Optional but recommended)

Ingredients

2 cabbage heads

Cabbage Stuffing

1½ lbs ground meat
2 cups short-grain rice
4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
2 onions minced
10-15 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoons seven spices
1 tablespoon sumac
¼ cup oil
1 tablespoon salt to taste
¼ teaspoon citric acid
2 teaspoons black pepper

Sauce

¼ cup oil extra virgin
2 cups warm water
6 cloves garlic crushed
2 bouillon cubes
2 large lemons juiced (or 4 small lemons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seven spices

Instructions

Place the cabbage head in boiling water for 25 minutes, until it becomes tender and leaves start to slightly fall off. Don’t over boil since leaves will become too soft to roll.
At the root of the cabbage cut deep with a knife around in square form. After cutting well, pull the root out with a fork or with your hand. It is easily done after it has boiled.
Drain cabbage and begin to gently separate leaf by leaf. With a knife cut horizontally the tip of each leaf that is hard to smooth out surface and leaf becomes foldable.
Mix all ingredients under “cabbage stuffing”. You can add more salt to taste. I usually taste the mix (I don’t swallow it) then fix salt to your liking.
Put about 2 tablespoons of the rice mix in one whole leaf or half the leaf. There are no rules, you make small rolls or larger cabbage rolls.
Fold in from the right then the left of leaf and begin to roll. Line up the rolled cabbage in pressure cooker or a large pot.
Mix all ingredients under “sauce”, then pour over rolled cabbage in pressure cooker pot. Set pressure cooker to 16 minutes.
Once done, you can taste it, and adjust any taste in the sauce if needed.
Drain most of the water out by placing a plate over the cabbage inside the pot.
Enjoy with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

#1: When the cabbage rolls are ready to be eaten, you can always sprinkle a little more salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. This is what I do since I love the extra flavors that others don't. I recommend you try it this way since it is very delicious this way!

#2: While boiling the cabbage head for Stuffed Cabbage (Malfoof), you will notice it floats so you may want to flip it over halfway through boiling to get it cooked on all sides. Drain the cabbage head or leaves after boiling to remove excess water.

#3: Don't overdo the stuffing inside because the rice will fluff as it cooks in the sauce causing it to double in size. If there's too much stuffing, it will come out of the leaf.

#4: To keep the rolled cabbage from coming apart, you can put a glass dish face down on top of the rolled cabbage in the pot to keep them in place and help them cook evenly.

#5: For added flavor and juices, you can stack tomatoes between layers.

#6: You can layer malfoof in a regular pot and cook it on the stovetop. After you bring it to a boil, keep it on high heat for around 10 minutes, then on medium heat for up to 1 hour or till the leaves are tender and the rice is fully cooked.

#7: A Pro Tip: For the ultimate taste, add some crushed garlic while layering the malfoof.

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