Cabbage Dolma (With Vegan Option)
Assyrian Cabbage Dolma with vegan option!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 412kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large heads of cabbage
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 1 bunch Italian parsley (chopped)
- 1 bunch cilantro (chopped)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lb beef chuck roast (or stew meat)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon dill weed (or ⅓ cup fresh dill)
Sauce:
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Carve the core out of the cabbage using a sharp knife or a serrated grapefruit knife. Discard the core. Add the cabbage to a large stockpot and cover it with water. Boil until the leaves begin to soften and pull away from the cabbage.
- As the leaves change color and become soft and pliable, use tongs to carefully pull away the outer leaves, and place them on a platter.
- Remove the thick veins from the center of the larger leaves, then slice the large leaves into smaller pieces. Line the bottom of an 8-quart Dutch oven with the large veins. This step is necessary so that the Dolma does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Prepare The Filling
- Wash rice, to remove starch and add to a large bowl. Chop parsley and cilantro and add to the rice. Add minced onion, garlic, diced meat, and filling spices. Finally, add the tomato paste and oil. Mix thoroughly until combined.
How To Roll Cabbage Dolma
- Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each cabbage leaf portion and roll up to enclose the filling. There's no wrong or right way to roll the dolma, just avoid making them too big. That is frowned upon!
- Place dolma rolls in the leaf-lined Dutch oven, seam-side down. Arrange them in rows until the bottom is covered. After you are done with each layer of dolma, sprinkle with a teaspoon of dill (optional). Continue until you have used up all the cabbage and the filling mixture.
- Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. The dolma will release some of its juices and will steam the rice.
Prepare Tomato Sauce
- While the dolma is steaming, whisk tomato paste, water, sugar, citric acid, salt, cayenne pepper, and vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat.
- Pour sauce over the dolma and cover with the lid. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and if you have a heat diffuser, add it under the pot. Simmer dolma until the juices are absorbed and the rice is tender. This can take anywhere from 1 to 1½ hours.
- Although you're going to want to dig in, have patience. You must allow the dolma to cool for a little bit, or it will fall apart when you're dishing it out.
Video
Notes
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- 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.
- Another option is to line the bottom of the pot with steak... yum!
- If you run out of cabbage leaves and still have filling remaining, you can use onions. Just peel a medium-sized onion, slice the ends, and make a slit halfway through the onion. Boil for approximately 25 minutes. Strip the onion layers and stuff them with the remaining mixture.
- If you want to make vegan dolma, simply replace the meat with 1 cup of additional rice.
- Some recommend freezing the cabbage instead of boiling it before stuffing it. Although freezing the cabbage does soften it, the cabbage ends up being undercooked since it's not cooked before stuffing.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Serving: 1plate | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1678mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g
