Russian Cabbage Rolls Recipe for Golubtsi (голубцы)

Step 1

In a rice cooker, steam one cup of jasmine rice.

Step 2

Half-fill a large stock pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring it to boil.

Step 3

Core the cabbage head and carefully pull the leaves apart, taking care so that they do not break, then put them in the boiling water until they soften and yellow. Remove with tongs, shake off any excess water, and place each piece separately on a clean tea-towel to cool.

Step 4

In a fry pan or skillet, sauté the finely chopped onion in a tablespoon of cooking oil until soft and fragrant, add the chopped garlic and continue frying until the onion is translucent. Remove half the onion and garlic and set aside in a dish.

Step 5

Add another tablespoon of oil and the grated carrot, combining the ingredients, and fry for a few minutes.

Step 6

Add the minced pork, minced beef, cup of steamed rice, a teaspoon each of salt, black pepper and paprika, and combine well, adding another 1-2 tablespoons of oil if needed (so the mixture won’t dry out in the oven), and fry until just-cooked. Taste, add any additional seasoning if needed, then remove from heat, and set aside.

Step 7

In a fry pan, add the fried onion and garlic that you set, along with the tin of crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, and reduce on high heat until thickened.

Step 8

Spread a layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a ceramic baking dish.

Step 9

Preheat the oven to 220˚C.

Step 10

Carefully spread one cabbage leaf out on a cutting board, place a generous tablespoon of the savoury meat mixture into the centre of the leaf, tuck in the sides and roll it up, and place it into a corner of the ceramic baking dish. Note: as the cabbage leaves will be in various sizes, smaller leaves may not cover the mixture completely so you may need to use two small leaves.

Step 11

Repeat until you’ve filled the ceramic dish. Note: our 23cm-long dish held 10 cabbage rolls in 2 rows. (If you have any meat mixture and cabbage leaves left, you could continue making rolls. If you have the mixture but no leaves, it’s delicious on its own or you could use the mixture in an omelette.)

Step 12

Spread the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the cabbage rolls, making sure to fill the cracks between the cabbage rolls, and between the rolls and dish. Pop the two bay leaves on top and cover with tomato sauce so they don’t burn. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked. It should not take longer than this as the mixture was already cooked.

Step 13

Sprinkle with fresh dill and serve at the centre of the table with a dish of sour cream and a salad. If plating individually, plop a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with dill.