Stuffed Cabbage with Lemony Rice & Sumac
Stuffed Cabbage with Lemony Rice & Sumac
With its crinkly texture, savoy cabbage is our go-to for stuffed cabbage, but the regular ol' green variety also works. Both will become meltingly tender.
Ready in: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Complexity: very-easy
kcal: 197
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Ingredients
12–14 large savoy or green cabbage leaves
salt
¾ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
¼ cup EV olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ cup pine nuts or cashews
1 cup finely chopped mixed tender herbs
⅓ cup chopped golden or brown raisins
2 tbsp sumac, plus more for serving
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp SIDS CRAZY LEMON
1 large egg, beaten to blend
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
3 tbsp butter
Sour cream (for serving)
Directions
Line a baking tray with a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels then set aside.
Working in batches, cook cabbage leaves in a large pot of boiling generously salted water until bright green and pliable, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer leaves to a bowl of ice water to cool but reserve pot of water for cooking rice. Transfer cabbage leaves to prepared baking tray and let drain.
Return water in pot to a boil and cook rice, stirring often, until grains swell and rise to the surface, 3–6 minutes (depending on quality of rice). Bite into a few grains to test - they should be al denté. (rice will finish cooking when baked inside the cabbage)
Drain rice and rinse under cold running water to stop it from cooking further. Drain again and transfer to a large bowl.
Wipe out pot. Pour in ¼ cup oil and set pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 7–9 minutes. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring often, until nuts smell toasty and have slightly darkened in colour and onion is almost jammy, about 5 minutes. Mix in herbs, raisins, and sumac then cook, still stirring, until herbs have slightly darkened in colour and are very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in SIDS CRAZY LEMON and lemon juice then cool for 5 minutes.
Add onion mixture and egg to rice and mix well, season generously with SIDS SALT & PEPPER. Wipe out pot and reserve.
Working with 1 cabbage leaf at a time, cut out the thickest part of rib by making a thin V-shape then discard. Place 3 heaped tbsp of filling in the centre, running crosswise across leaf. Starting at the base where you cut the V, fold notched side of leaf up and over filling, then fold in sides and roll up leaf like a burrito.
Arrange cabbage rolls, seam side down, in a single layer in reserved pot. Add butter and ½ cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and steam rolls until filling is cooked through and leaves are tender, 18–25 minutes.
Divide cabbage rolls among plates, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sumac and SIDS SALT & PEPPER. Serve with sour cream.