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Mahshi Koromb
Serves 6 Prep 1 hr Cook 1 hr 15 min Total 2 hr 15 min Type Side Origin Egyptian

Mahshi Koromb

Stuffed cabbage rolls Egyptian-style: blanched cabbage leaves wrapped around a herbed rice-and-meat filling (or all-rice for vegetarian), packed tight in a pot with garlic and tomato, slow-simmered until the rolls are soft and the cabbage has absorbed the flavours. A Friday-lunch staple, made by the dozen.

Serves 6 Prep 1 hour Cook 1 hour 15 minutes Units Rate

Overview

A large cabbage core-out, blanched briefly, leaves separated. Filling: short-grain rice mixed raw with beef mince, chopped onion, parsley, dill, mint, dried mint, cumin, allspice, tomato puree, salt, pepper, plenty of olive oil. Each leaf rolls around a tablespoon of filling. Packed tight in a wide pot lined with sliced tomato. Garlic-tomato cooking liquid poured to nearly cover. Weighted with a plate. Cooked covered 1 hour on the lowest heat.

Ingredients

Cabbage

  • 1 large head white cabbage (1.2-1 ½ kg)
  • 1 tablespoon salt (for blanching)

Filling

  • 300 g short-grain rice (rinsed; not pre-cooked)
  • 400 g beef mince (or all rice for vegetarian)
  • 1 onion (large, very finely chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 2 fresh tomatoes (very finely diced)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 4 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 100 ml olive oil

Cooking liquid

  • 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 1 litre hot water (or beef stock)

Base

  • 2 tomatoes (medium, sliced - line the pot)

Method

Stage 1 - Cabbage prep

  1. Cut the core out of the cabbage with a sharp knife.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. Submerge the whole cabbage; cook 5 minutes.
  4. Lift out; cool slightly; peel off the outer leaves one by one (return to the boil if inner leaves are tough - 2 more minutes).
  5. Trim the thick central rib from each leaf flat with a knife.
  6. Cut very large leaves in half down the middle.

Stage 2 - Filling

  1. Combine all filling ingredients in a wide bowl; mix thoroughly.

Stage 3 - Roll

  1. On a flat surface, lay a cabbage leaf inside-up.
  2. Place 1 generous tablespoon of filling at the trimmed (core) end.
  3. Fold in the sides; roll up tight away from you into a 8-10 cm cylinder.

Stage 4 - Pack

  1. Line the bottom of a wide heavy pot with the sliced tomato.
  2. Arrange the rolls seam-side down in tight concentric circles, packed snug.
  3. Stack rows if needed.

Stage 5 - Cooking liquid

  1. Whisk the garlic, tomato puree, olive oil, salt, lemon juice with the hot water.
  2. Pour over the rolls - should come almost to the top of the rolls but not flooding.

Stage 6 - Weight and cook

  1. Place a heatproof plate directly on top of the rolls to weight them down (stops them unravelling).
  2. Cover the pot.
  3. Bring to a simmer; reduce to the lowest heat.
  4. Cook 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the cabbage soft.

Stage 7 - Rest

  1. Rest off the heat 15 minutes (covered).

Stage 8 - Serve

  1. Lift rolls onto a wide platter. Ladle some of the cooking liquor over.
  2. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt.

Notes

  • Pack tight: Loosely packed rolls float and unravel. Pack them snugly enough to hold each other in place.
  • Raw rice goes in: The rice cooks in the steam and the meat juices. Pre-cooked rice gives mushy filling.
  • Weight matters: The plate on top holds the rolls down so the liquid stays around them. Don't skip.

Storage

  • Refrigerate 4 days; reheat gently with extra cooking liquor.
  • Freezes 2 months.

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The Saudi gathering platter built for the night when one cut of meat isn't enough. Three proteins share the same pot: lamb shoulder and beef chunks go in first with a kabsa-spiced tomato base for ninety minutes of slow simmer until they're meltingly tender, then chicken pieces drop in for the last thirty-five minutes (their cook time is shorter, so they go in later). The strained meat broth, deeply spiced from everything that has braised in it, becomes the cooking liquid for basmati scented with saffron and dried lime. At the end you arrange all three meats on top of the rice in the same platter and bring the whole thing to the centre of the table. The kind of dish you make for a wedding lunch, an Eid gathering, or the night the extended family arrives unannounced.

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