Malfouf Mehshi (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Photo: Aneta Pawlik / Unsplash
Soft cabbage leaves rolled around a filling of rice and minced meat with allspice, then cooked slowly in a garlicky lemon and mint broth. Tangy, tender and very comforting.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soften the cabbage
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut out the hard core of the cabbage with a knife. Put the whole cabbage in the water. After 2–3 minutes, peel off the outer leaves as they go soft and lift them out. Keep going until you have about 20 leaves.
Trim the leaves
Let the leaves cool. Cut out the thick middle vein of each leaf. Cut big leaves in half. Keep the small and torn leaves for lining the pot.
Make the filling
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Roll
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Fill the pot
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Add the lemon broth
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Cook slowly
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Rest and serve
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Soften the cabbage
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut out the hard core of the cabbage with a knife. Put the whole cabbage in the water. After 2–3 minutes, peel off the outer leaves as they go soft and lift them out. Keep going until you have about 20 leaves.
Trim the leaves
Let the leaves cool. Cut out the thick middle vein of each leaf. Cut big leaves in half. Keep the small and torn leaves for lining the pot.
Make the filling
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Roll
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Fill the pot
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Add the lemon broth
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Cook slowly
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Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Stuffing vegetables became very popular across the Ottoman Empire, and Lebanese cooks stuffed almost everything: zucchini, eggplants, vine leaves and cabbage.
Malfouf is a winter dish, made when cabbages are sweet after the cold nights. Rolling them is often a family job, with several people sitting around the table chatting and rolling together.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The lemon, garlic and mint broth makes the rolls bright and tangy, very different from cabbage rolls in other countries.
💡 Fun Fact
Some Lebanese cooks freeze the whole cabbage for a few days first. When it thaws, the leaves are soft and easy to roll without boiling.
Lebanon and the Levant
33.85°N, 35.86°E
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