Cabbage Dolma (Dolma’t Chalama)
Cabbage dolma or cabbage rolls is a dish that many cultures share. Assyrians call this dish “dolma’t chalama.” Unlike many of my recipes that are mostly popular in the Middle East, cabbage rolls seem to be enjoyed throughout the world. Although I could try to claim that Assyrians were the first to make this dish, I’m not going to go there. You see, the important thing is that cabbage rolls are appreciated throughout the world. That alone is enough to make me happy!
Vegetarians or Meat-Lovers Cabbage Dolma
Cabbage rolls happens to be my daughter, Nena’s favorite Assyrian dish. Unfortunately, we have a serious problem. Nena prefers her dolma without meat, and I like mine with. However, being the nice mom that I am, I usually sacrifice my preference and make it how she likes it. If you’re like me, and enjoy protein in your diet, replace one cup of the three cups of rice with one pound of finely diced beef or lamb. But, please don’t use ground meat, mom would have never approved of this. Take the time to dice the meat, it does make a difference! To check out my mom and I making cabbage dolma, follow this link!
Saint Patrick’s Day Tradition
This year, I am continuing a tradition that I started five years ago. What tradition you ask? Well, five years ago I came up with the idea of cooking cabbage dolma along with the corned beef I prepared for St. Patricks’s Day. You see the guys in the family love corned beef, as do I. Unfortunately, no one really wanted to eat the cabbage. Not to mention, since Nena didn’t like meat, there would be nothing on the table for her to enjoy. But making cabbage rolls solved all that. The guys got their meat, Nena got her cabbage rolls, and I got a little of both. I call that a win-win!
You may also enjoy my Dolmathes blog post!
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Assyrian cabbage rolls (dolma) stuffed with rice and herbs. Vegetarian recipe.
- 1 head cabbage large
- 3 cups jasmine rice
- 1 bunch Italian parsley chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 T salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 T allspice
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 T paprika
- 1 tsp citric acid
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 T dill
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 21/2 cups water
- 11/2 T sugar
- 1 tsp citric acid
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 T vegetable oil
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Carve the core out of the cabbage using a sharp knife, or a serrated grapefruit knife. Discard the core.
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Add cabbage to a large stockpot, and cover with water. Boil until the leaves begin to soften and start pulling away from the cabbage.
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As the leaves change color and become soft and pliable, use tongs to carefully pull away the outer leaves, and place on a platter. Avoid overcooking the leaves which will cause them to fall apart. Continue to strip the leaves away until you’re left with the smaller leaves in the center.
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Remove the thick veins from the center of the larger leaves.
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Use the thick sections of the leaves to line the bottom of an 8 qt. Dutch oven. This step is necessary so that the dolma does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
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Cut the rest of the cabbage leaf into smaller portions, which will be used to roll the mix in.
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Filling: Wash rice, then soak in water and set aside. Chop the parsley, and cilantro, and add to a large bowl. Mince onion and garlic, and add to the same bowl. Mix in all the filling spices. Strain the rice and add to the bowl, along with the tomato paste and oil. Mix thoroughly until combined.
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Assembly: Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each cabbage leaf and roll up to cover the filling.
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There's no wrong or right way to do this, it just takes practice. Just don't make them too big.
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Place the dolma in the leaf-lined Dutch oven, in straight rows until the bottom is covered.
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When you are done with the first layer, sprinkle with a teaspoon of dill.
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If you run out of cabbage leaves, you can use onions to use up the remaining filling.
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Just peel a medium sized onion, cut the ends, and make a slit half-way through the onion. Boil for approximately 25 minutes. Strip the onion layers and stuff them with the remaining mixture.
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Cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. The dolma will release some of its juices, and will partially steam cook. During this time, you can move on to making the sauce.
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Sauce: Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, until well blended. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.
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Pour the sauce over the dolma. Once the mixture is boiling, turn heat to the lowest setting, and simmer until the juices are absorbed, and the rice is tender. This can take anywhere from 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
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Although you're going to want to dig in, have patience little grasshopper! You must allow the dolma to cool for a little bit, or it will fall apart when you're dishing it out.
