Palestinian-Style Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Rolls - Malfuf Mahshi • All that's Jas (2024)

BY: Jas · PUBLISHED: Oct 15, 2019 · UPDATED: Jan 26, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

If you're looking for a dinner idea that will warm your heart or cure your blues, try this Palestinian Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Rolls, the culinary delight of the east old world.

The cold weather is ideal for indulging in hearty foods that comfort the soul, but this flavorful dish will be on your menu year-round.

I've been making stuffed cabbage rolls since I took over my mom's kitchen, decades ago. Granted, we use cured cabbage but the method is the same.

Stuffed vegetables are a staple of Balkan, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Other than cabbage, we stuff grape leaves, peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes, but we don't stop at stuffing just vegetables. No, sir! Though, that's a topic for another day. 🙂

Palestinian-Style Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Rolls

For the ultimate Palestinian-style malfuf mahshi use ground lamb, veal, or a combination. To keep this dish budget-friendly, ground beef will do just fine. I know because that's what I used in this recipe.

Malfuf (sometimes called sarmale of the dolma family) is a traditional dish consisting of blanched cabbage leaves that have been rolled around a filling of ground (minced) meat.

In Arabic, the word malfuf means wrapped and meat-filled cabbage rolls are the most widely eaten of all the stuffed vegetables.

What do I need for this recipe?

The ingredients are basic (you will notice no rice is used) and the combination makes a delicious weeknight dinner dish that you can make ahead.

It's packed with Mediterranean flavors and is perfect to serve for special gatherings.

• Protein - Ground beef and egg
• Aromatics - Onion, tomato paste
• Spices - Black pepper and Seven Spice blend (see below how to make your own)
• Seasoning - Salt
• Herbs - Parsley
• Vegetables - Savoy cabbage, tomato, and potato (if using)
• Liquid - Broth
• Fat - Olive oil
• Binder - Bread crumbs

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SEVEN SPICE BLEND?

Note: This recipe makes just about two teaspoons of Seven Spice mix, enough for the stuffed savoy cabbage rolls.

Multiply the ingredients as desired and keep the spice blend in an airtight container for future use. It is used heavily in Levantine cuisine (large area in the Eastern Mediterranean).

Mix together:

• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• a pinch of ground cardamom
• ⅛ teaspoon cumin

How do I make stuffed savoy cabbage?

*Details and the printable recipe are available at the bottom of this post.

1. Sauté onion in oil.
2. Blend the sautéed onion together with breadcrumbs, tomato, parsley, and Seven Spice mix.
3. Add the mixture to ground beef and egg. Mix gently until combined.
4. Divide into eight parcels.

5. Separate 8 leaves from the savoy.
6. Blanch the leaves and remove their core.
7. Place one of the meat portions onto the cabbage leaf and fold it around the meat patty. Transfer the rolls into a baking dish.
8. Place potato and tomato slices vertically between the cabbage rolls. Pour with the sauce mixture of broth, oil, Seven Spices blend, salt, and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes.

WATCH HOW TO ROLL THE MEAT PATTIES INTO CABBAGE LEAVES:

People also asked:

1. WHAT IS BLANCHING?

Blanching is a short-term thermal treatment of food in boiling water or in hot steam. It is advisable to deter the food - especially vegetables - in ice water to halt the cooking process. This retains color, taste, and texture.

2. WHAT'S A SUBSTITUTE FOR SAVOY CABBAGE?

Savoy cabbage is short in season (October-November) and can be expensive in some parts of the world. Conventional green (white) is a good substitute, but you could use napa cabbage too. Also, try using grape leaves as the Palestinians often do.

3. WHAT TO SERVE WITH STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS?

Serve these Palestinian savoy cabbage rolls with meat patties along with crusty bread, vermicelli rice, Kurdish rice pilaf, or mashed potatoes.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:

• You don't have to sauté onions (use raw), but sautéd onions add more flavor!
• Don't blanch the leaves longer than two minutes. You just want them to be pliable, otherwise, they will tear easily. They will finish cooking in the oven.
• You can cook more than eight leaves and make smaller portions or have a backup if some of the leaves break apart.
• To keep the rolls the same size, you might have to overlap two smaller leaves before wrapping them around the meat patty.
• Serve the rolls with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.
• If your skillet or baking dish is small, arrange the cabbage rolls upright at the slight angle to fit.

Use up leftover savoy cabbage in these recipes:

• SLOVENIAN VEGETABLE PIE
• DUTCH STAMPPOT
• SLAVONIAN POLENTA CASSEROLE

MAKING THIS RECIPE OR OTHERS?

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