Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice Recipe

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Mince and Rice

        Turkish Style Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish

       Turkish Kitchen or Anatolian (Turkish) Cuisine is well known for its stuffed and wrapped vegetable meals called "Dolma" and "Sarma". Because, Stuffed vegetables, especially with rice and meat filling, are a unique of Anatolian (Turkish) Cuisine. Plus; middle Eastern style filling of spice rice and ground beef is very unique and very famous too. Maybe one of the very popular and famous stuffed and wrapped vegetable meals is Stuffed Cabbage Leaves or "Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) recipe ". You can find very different recipes of stuffed cabbages leaves dish throughout the Mediterranean region. Also, you can find different recipes of stuffed cabbages leaves dish throughout the Anatolia too. You may like our: Turkish-stuffed-eggplant-dish-recipe .

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice
(Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish Recipe

         In this post, we are going to share our 5-star recipe with you. Yes, It is really 5-star recipe. this recipe is not only very delicious but also it is nutritious. It is stuffed cabbage recipe. Its whole name is "Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish". This dish is very popular especially in winter cold days in Anatolia. Actually, stuffed Cabbage Leaves dish come directly from the cuisine of the Ottoman imperial. This dish and other stuffed and wrapped vegetable meals were very unique and popular in kitchen of the Ottoman palace (also, it was called "Dolma" and "Sarma" in the kitchen of Ottoman Palace). There are different types (versions) of this dish: such as, stuffed cabbage leaves with ground meat, with chestnuts, with olive oil aka vegetarian one,  with wheat cracked (we call it: bulgur), with mussels etc. Although all versions of stuffed cabbage leaves dish are delicious and perfect, we must say that stuffed cabbage leaves with ground meat is better. Ofcourse, stuffed cabbage leaves with chestnuts and with mussels are absolutely delicious, but stuffed Cabbage Leaves with ground meat one is our favourite. You may like our: Stuffed-zucchini-dish-recipe , Nonvegan-stuffed-zucchini-with-ground-meat-dish-recipe.

         How to Make Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish?

         Today, we are sharing our favourite and number 1 Stuffed Cabbage Leaves dish. Yes, it is 5-star recipe. It is Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish. This recipe is not only very delicious but also it is nutritious. Plus, it is very famous and popular throughout the Anatolia, Mediterranean region, some of the Middle Eastern countries and European countries. Forexample; Stuffed Cabbage Polish dish is very unique. One of our neighbour who is originally from Poland said that this was their national dish (Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice). And she added that; the only difference was that we didn't boil it with lemon juice, but we boiled it with tomatoes or passata (thick tomato paste) so they were served with tomato sauce when dish was ready. You may like our: Turkish-dolma-rice-stuffed-peppers-dish-recipe ,  Stuffed-sun-dried-bell-peppers-in-olive-dish-recipe .

Pick Cabbage that is not rock hard,
it should be a kind of soft when press on top

This mixture is a standard filling for many
Turkish and Mediterranean recipes 

Parsley and Dill make your stuffed cabbage leaves very yummy

Half lemon juice

         When You Cook Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish, You Should Pay Attention to These Things:

         Preparing Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish recipe seems difficult but it is as easy as making Macaroni or Spagetti dishes. Yes it is abit difficult but not too much difficult. It might seem hard to deal with cabbage leaves, Just, pay attention that while rolling cabbage's leaves and make sure you do not break the leaves. But, please dont be scared to try. Plus; when you buy cabbage in the markets, groceries, and bazaars, pick one that is not rock hard, it should be a kind of soft when press on top, they are easier for taking the leaves out. 

Ingredients of Stuffed cabbage recipe 

How do you cut cabbage for cabbage rolls?

How do you cut cabbage for cabbage rolls?

How do you cut cabbage for cabbage rolls? 

Preparation of stuffed cabbage leaves

         Recipe of Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish

        It is very delicious, very healty and unique dish from our Cuisine. Also, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Rolls with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish is our favourite dish. Some of our friends also tried the Vegetarian version with the soya meat and it worked. But we recommend that stuffed cabbage leaves with ground meat and rice dish. Maybe you ask that "What do you serve with stuffed cabbage?" Yes, our potato salad or Sepherd salad goes well with it very good. You may like our:  Turkish-shepherd-salad-recipe .

        Here it is our yummy and unique Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Turkish or stuffed cabbage leaves rolls with ground beef and rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) dish recipe;   

         Very good family favourite;

       Serving: 4 Servings, Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes, Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes, Cuisine: Mediterranean & Anatolian Cuisines,

         Ingredients:

        - 1 Medium size or abit bigger size cabbage, 

        - 300 gr Lean ground meat (beef or lamb. Bye the way, we used lean ground beef in this recipe),

       - 1/2 Cup short grain rice, and wheat cracked -bulgur- (we didn't use our Baldo rice or Basmati rice in this recipe, other short grain rice or other rice is better),

        - 2 Medium size onions, very finely chopped,
        - 3-4 Cloves garlic, minced,
       - 1/3 Cup Parsley, chopped,
       - 1/3 Cup Dill, chopped,
       - 1 or 1,5 Heaping tablespoon tomato paste,
       - 1 Teaspoon Dried mint,
      - 1/2 or 1 Teaspoon ground pepper, 
      - 1/2 or 1 Teaspoon Red Flakes pepper,
      - 2 Tablespoon Olive oil,,
      - 1 or 2 Tablespoons butter, (Cut into tiny small pieces),
     - A pinch of salt to taste,
     - Half lemon juice,
     - 1 or 2 Cups of hot water,

         Preparation:

         First of all, put your medium size cabbage and other ingredients on your work surface (work table). Take a deep and large bowl and put your ground meat (beef or lamb), onion, garlic, short grain  rice, tomato paste, parsley, dill, dried mint, ground black pepper, red flakes pepper, olive oil, and salt in a deep and large bowl and mix all of them very well. This mixture is a standard filling for many Turkish and Mediterranean recipes (if you want you can use different spices. We used dried mint, ground black pepper, red flakes pepper). Maybe you ask that   "How do you cut cabbage for cabbage rolls?" Firstly, take your medium size cabbage and use your knife and cut the bottom (stem) of the cabbage (You may use this part for a soup). We mean that; cut the 4-5 cm (nearly 1,5-2 inches) from the bottom/stem of the cabbage. Then, please carefully try to take leaves out one by one (bye the way; remove the very outer leaves and keep them, because you will use them later). Then, boil some water with salt in a big pot. Boil the cabbage leaves 5 or 6 at a time depending on how big of pot you are using for this. 5 minutes fliping your cabbage leaves over once. Take them out and place on a flat plate to cool down. Once the your leaves cool down. Place one on a flat surface. Don't forget to cut the big vein of the leaf out; it might be too string for rolling. Bye the way, if you have a very big leaf, cut into two pieces. Line the bottom of a pot with the cut out veins and the very outer leaves. Then, Add 1/2 to 1 or 2 tablespoons of short grain rice and ground meat mixture of filling to one cabbage leaf, closer to the bottom. Fold sides of cabbage over the filling. Roll it up starting from the stem end, it looks something like this (check out the our images above). Repeat the same for the remaining leaves. Place rolled cabbage leaves in the pot lined with cut out veins and  very outer leaves. 

         After the rolling of cabbage leaves processes, chop your butter in small pieces and scattered it on top. Then, pour lemon juice and hot water to cover the stuffed cabbage. Place a heavy flat plate on top of stuffed cabbage leaves so that they won’t move around, or put a heavy item on top of your pan, and also add a tablespoon of rice on top. Let it cook for 30-35 minutes or more till the rice you put on top is cooked. Now; Stuffed cabbage leaves with mince and rice dish is ready. Serve it warm.

Place a heavy flat plate on top of stuffed cabbage leaves
so that they won’t move around

Or put a heavy item on top of your pan

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves Turkish 

          ENJOY!

         Please let us know how this "Turkish Style Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Ground Beef and Rice (Etli Lahana Sarması) Dish Recipe" turns out for you in the comments. We are always so eager to hear from you.

You may like our: Turkish-navy-bean-salad-piyaz-recipe , Purslane-salad-with-yogurt-recipe , Mixed-cabbage-slaw-salad-recipe .  

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