Chef-tested recipe
Romanian cabbage rolls filled with pork, rice and herbs and slowly simmered with tomato.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Best Served With
- Mămăligă and sour cream
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Ingredients
- 1 large pickled or blanched cabbage, leaves separated
- 800 g minced pork
- 120 g long-grain rice, rinsed paid link
- 250 g onion, finely chopped
- 20 g parsley and dill, chopped
- 5 g sweet paprika
- 10 g salt paid link
- 3 g black pepper
- 500 ml tomato passata
- 700 ml water or stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 ml neutral oil paid link
Method
Cook onion gently in oil until soft and cool.
Mix pork, rice, onion, herbs, paprika, salt and pepper.
Place small portions of filling on cabbage leaves, fold in the sides and roll tightly.
Arrange snugly in a heavy pot, add passata, water or stock and bay leaves, then cover.
Simmer very gently for about 2 hours until the filling is cooked and the cabbage tender.
Beginner Technique Notes
Do not overfill the rolls because rice expands during cooking. A very gentle simmer helps them stay intact.
Substitutions
A pork-and-beef mixture can be used. Fresh cabbage leaves may be blanched until flexible if pickled cabbage is unavailable.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days; the flavour often improves after resting overnight. Reheat until fully hot.
Allergen Notes
No major allergens are required in the base recipe; check stock and pickled cabbage labels.
Always Cook with Heart. Always!
