Very delicious meatballs wrapped in cabbage.
- 1 egg
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 salt and pepper
- 1 average cabbage
- 300 grams ground meat ( i used turkey)
- 2/3 glass uncooked rice
- 1 bunch dill and parsley
- spinach ( optional)
- 1 carrot
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 liter water or meat stock
- sour cream (creme fraiche) or ketchup for seasoning, optional
- Carbohydrate 13.0260264499407 g
- Cholesterol 70.75 mg
- Fat 11.0867021402539 g
- Fiber 4.72202825918596 g
- Protein 12.1663239578149 g
- Saturated Fat 4.17305300794804 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (411g)
- Sodium 144.008264261464 mg
- Sugar 8.30399819075472 g
- Trans Fat 1.74241745632528 g
- Calories 195 calories
Step-by-step
- Put cabbage into a big pot and pour some water and salt. Let it boil until the leaves become a bit tender and it's easy to take them off. Don't overcook them!!!
- Mix ground meat with rice ( you can use boiled rice too), onion, dill and parsley, salt and pepper, boiled spinach and egg.
- Take some meat mix and wrap it into a cabbage leave.
- Put the wraps into a pot. Add some chopped carrots and garlic clove, bay leave and meat stock. When it boils for 10 min, add tomato paste. Let it simmer for about 30 min. Add some salt and pepper if you feel like...
- Serve with boiled potatoes and sour cream or ketchup.
Using instant rice instead of raw long-grain rice alters the moisture absorption ratio entirely, leaving you with either crunchy grains or a dry meat mixture inside the leaves. Boiling the entire head requires close attention to the structural integrity of the outer layers. Submerge the cabbage in salted water at a rolling boil for roughly six to eight minutes, peeling away softened leaves as they yield rather than boiling the core to mush. Undercooking the leaves makes them impossible to roll without tearing, while overcooking reduces them to transparent mush that disintegrates during the simmer phase.
Packing the filling too tightly forces the uncooked rice to burst through the seams as it expands during the thirty-minute simmer. Distribute two tablespoons of meat mixture evenly near the base of each leaf, fold the sides inward snugly, and roll forward with moderate pressure. Layering chopped carrots, a whole garlic clove, and a single bay leaf at the base of the heavy-bottomed pot prevents scorching while the stock reduces. Incorporate the tomato paste ten minutes into the boil so the acidity breaks down the starches gradually rather than seizing the proteins immediately.
Stovetop simmering creates a delicate, steamed texture, whereas transferring the arranged rolls to a baking dish introduces Maillard reactions if the oven temperature is set to 190 degrees Celsius uncovered for the final fifteen minutes. Frying the wrapped parcels in a skillet with fat before liquid is added renders the cabbage edges translucent and nutty. Whichever thermal path is chosen, monitor the liquid level constantly to prevent scorching at the bottom of the vessel.
Mastering the Roll and Simmer
Packing the filling too tightly forces the uncooked rice to burst through the seams as it expands during the thirty-minute simmer. Distribute two tablespoons of meat mixture evenly near the base of each leaf, fold the sides inward snugly, and roll forward with moderate pressure. Layering chopped carrots, a whole garlic clove, and a single bay leaf at the base of the heavy-bottomed pot prevents scorching while the stock reduces. Incorporate the tomato paste ten minutes into the boil so the acidity breaks down the starches gradually rather than seizing the proteins immediately.
Alternative Thermal Methods
Stovetop simmering creates a delicate, steamed texture, whereas transferring the arranged rolls to a baking dish introduces Maillard reactions if the oven temperature is set to 190 degrees Celsius uncovered for the final fifteen minutes. Frying the wrapped parcels in a skillet with fat before liquid is added renders the cabbage edges translucent and nutty. Whichever thermal path is chosen, monitor the liquid level constantly to prevent scorching at the bottom of the vessel.
