How to Make stuffed cabbage

Watch this how to video to learn how to make Malfouf, or what is also known as stuffed cabbage is.

For this recipe you will need:

-1 medium cabbage

-1 1/2 cups of ground beef or ground lamb

-1 medium diced onion

-1 cup short grain rice

-garlic, a few whole garlic cloves peeled and some minced

(you may use whole head of garlic with the peel in between the layers)

- 2 to 3 teaspoons of the following spices: cumin, caraway, coriander, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. (You may use all of the above spices or omit whichever you do not like)

-cooking oil

-1 cup lemon juice

-1 cup water or as needed

Directions:

-wash and drain rice

-mix up the ground meat, diced onions and rice

-add cooking oil and spices and set aside.

-prepare your cabbage leaves by separating the leaves from the cabbage head. Cut away stems, save them to use at the bottom of the pot.

-boil the leaves a few at a time in boiling salted water until they are soft enough to roll.

-prepare stuffing of meat, rice, salt, pepper and the above spices

-cut the leaves to form a cigar size roll

-place stuffing on each leaf, fold sides toward center and roll up from bottom into a cigar shape (similar with stuffed vine leaves). Do not over stuff; make sure that you have space for the rice to expand inside the cabbage rolls.

-press the leaves together firmly and place them on a layer of the saved stems

-place the whole garlic heads in between the rolled Malfouf

-sprinkle with salt, caraway and cumin in between layers. Add water, boil then simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Halfway through the cooking time add the crushed garlic.

-simmer gently until rice is tender in barely enough water to cover.

-invert your pot in a platter

You may serve this dish hot or at room temperature, depends on your personal taste.