Mahshi kromb - Egyptian vegan cabbage rolls
Mahshi kromb- juicy, herbaceous Egyptian cabbage rolls. Tender cabbage leaves, stuffed with parsley, cilantro and dill-laced tomato rice, each roll an umami bomb that will keep you going back for more.
Equipment
- Food processor optional
- Kitchen tongs
Ingredients
For the cabbage
- 1 head green cabbage approximately 3 pounds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt (diamond brand) Or half amount if using table salt or Morton kosher salt
For the stuffing
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 medium white or yellow onions (or 3 small onions) finely minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced or pounded in mortar and pestle
- 3 TBS tomato paste
- 1 cup short or medium grain rice, Egyptian preferred thoroughly washed
- 2-3 fresh tomatoes, pureed or 1 cup canned/bottled pureed tomatoes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems minced, thick stems reserved for vegetable stock
- 1 bunch fresh parsley leaves and soft stems minced, thick stems reserved for vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup fresh dill leaves and soft stems minced
- 1 TBS kosher salt, diamond brand Or half amount if using table salt or Morton kosher salt
For vegetable stock
- reserved cooking water from boiled cabbage
- reserved stems of herbs and onion ends
- 2 TBS tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparing cabbage
- Wash cabbage and remove any wilted outer leaves.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove the stem and hollow out the core, about 2 inches deep.
- Fill a large pot of water, add cumin and salt, and set to boil over high heat. Once boiling, add cabbage and allow to boil a few minutes.
- Using tongs, carefully peel away cabbage leaves as they soften. You may need to hold the cabbage still with a fork with one hand, and peel with tongs with the other. If you are meeting a lot of resistance, allow to boil a bit longer or remove cabbage and hollow out the center a bit more. Set leaves aside.
- Set aside pot of seasoned water. This will be used for making cooking stock.
- On a cutting board, cut the hard spines out of cabbage leaves and set spines aside (do not discard!).
- Cut leaves into pieces. They will all be slightly different shapes but aim for pieces to be about 3 inches long by roughly 2 inches (8 cm by 5cm).
Making the stuffing (hashwa)
- In a pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and add minced onions. Cook onions until translucent and softened, about five minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant., about 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and continue stirring. Cook until tomato paste starts to carmelize and brown bits begin sticking to pan.
- Stir in cumin and coriander.
- Add rice and pureed tomatoes and mix throoughly.
- Finally add in minced parsley, cilantro and dill. Add salt.
- Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Preparing vegetable stock
- Toss reserved stems of parsley and cilantro, as well as washed onion ends and skins or other vegetable scraps you have into the pot of cabbage water.
- Add tomato paste, bay leaf and juice of half a lemon.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook while you assemble your cabbage rolls.
Assembling cabbage rolls
- On a flat surface, lay out cabbage piece. Place approximately 1 teaspoon of stuffing along the long end of your cabbage piece. Do not fill all the way to the edges.
- Roll cabbage tightly into a thin roll. Do not tuck in ends. Set aside, seam side down so they do not unroll.
Cooking mahshi kromb
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into your pot, then line the bottom of a pot with reserved cabbage spines.
- Carefully fill pot with rolled cabbage, placing each roll seam side down to avoid unrolling. Place rolls together snuggly. You can arrange them in spiral formation as shown, or as you wish, as long as they are placed closely together. Assemble layers of rolls until all rolls have been placed in pot.
- If you have extra cabbage pieces, place them on top of rolls.
- Place pot on stove and begin cooking over medium-high heat. Do not add stock yet. Allow to cook for about 8 minutes. During this time, the cabbage will release some water, and the cabbage on the bottom will carmelize.
- Then, slowly begin adding your reserved vegetable stock. You do not want to cover the rolls with stock. Add enough stock to just reach the top layer of rolls, but do not submerge them.
- Cover rolls with a small plate or pot lid, to prevent them from unrolling. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a minute, then turn down to a medium-low heat and cover tightly with lid. Cook for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove lid and check on mahshi. If there is still a lot of liquid, continue to cook uncovered until most of it evaporates. Then, turn off the heat and allow mahshi to sit for 30 minutes with lid ajar.
- Finally, when ready to serve, cover the pot with a large plate or platter and carefully flip it upside down. Remove pot and enjoy!