Malfouf is stuffed cabbage leaves filled with a flavorful mixture of ground meat, rice, and spices, then rolled and cooked. Served hot with lots of squeezed fresh lemon juice.
Malfouf is the perfect meal during cold weather, it’s a hearty warm dish making it a popular choice for family gatherings, special occasions, and any weekday dinner night.
Palestinian cuisine and most of the Arab world cuisines have a variety of stuffed vegetables such as kousa mahshi (stuffed zucchini), betanjan mahshi (stuffed eggplants), or sheikh el mahshi, and also vegan options like stuffed grape leaves, all enjoyed throughout the year. However, since cabbage is considered a winter vegetable, malfouf is often cooked during the winter season.
What is Malfouf?
The name "Malfouf" actually translates to "rolled" or "wrapped" in Arabic. Malfouf is the Arabic word for cabbage. Malfouf, also known as Malfuf or Mehshi Malfouf, is a delicious and traditional dish in the Middle East that hails from the Levant region, which includes countries like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine.
Cabbage leaves are carefully boiled, and then filled with a tasty mixture of ground meat, rice, and spices. These stuffed cabbage rolls are then simmered over low heat until they are tender and the flavors have melded together.
An average cabbage head in Palestine is 2 to 3 times bigger than any cabbage here in the US, which typically is enough to feed the entire family. And while Malfouf's preparation can vary from household to household, it is still a popular meal that everyone loves. This recipe is my mother’s which I grew up eating.
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Equipment
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Pot - For boiling cabbage head and cooking malfouf.
Large Bowl - For mixing the stuffing.
Strainer - To strain malfouf leaves after boiling.
Tongs - To help hold cabbage leaves during the boiling process.
Ingredients
Ground Meat - Ground beef, or ground lamb, or a mixture of both can be used with this recipe.
Rice - short grain rice works well with this recipe. I like to use Egyptian rice brands or Cal Rose.
Green Cabbage - I recommend a medium size cabbage.
Allspice - To add rich flavor to the rice and meat mixture.
Cumin powder - Gives a unique flavor to this dish, and also it has health benefits, studies shown that cumin helps relieve bloating caused by high fiber food such as cabbage.
Unpeeled Garlic Cloves - Are used and scattered in between layered malfouf in a pot before cooking. Once cooked they turn soft and creamy served next to the dish providing an extra garlicky flavor.
Fresh Lemon Juice - Squeezing fresh lemon juice all over malfouf once served is a must and adds a tangy lemony flavor to the dish.
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Preparing the Cabbage
Step 1 | Start by removing the core of the cabbage. With a sharp or pairing knife cut around on top to remove the head.
Step 2 | Fill up a large pot with hot water over medium heat, sprinkle some salt, place the cabbage, and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Use one cabbage at a time.
Step 3 | Once boiling, the leaves start to loosen, you can use a pair of tongs and help peel off the leaves. Keep them in the boiling water under medium heat for another 2 minutes, making sure that the leaves are completely dipped in water.
Step 4 | Place the leaves in a strainer to drain and cool off.
Preparing Stuffing
Step 1 | In a bowl, add washed and rinsed rice, meat (minced or ground), cumin, allspice, salt, and neutral or olive oil.
Step 2 | Mix all together until well combined.
Rolling Cabbage Leaves
Step 1 | Cut off large stalks in the middle of each leaf.
Step 2 | Cut the leaf from the middle splitting it into two.
Step 3 | Place each leaf on a smooth surface. Add about one teaspoon of the rice mixture to each leaf and then spread it across the leaf.
Step 4 | Roll the leaf forward toward the stuffing (it's okay to leave the roll edges open).
Step 5 | Repeat the process until all leaves are rolled.
Step 6 | Fill up the pot and in between layers scatter unpeeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle salt on the top of the pot, and butter or oil then pour hot boiled water, filling up about ¾ of the pot. Place on high-medium heat, once it starts boiling, cover it with the lid and let it simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
How to Serve Malfouf?
Once Malfouf is cooked, set aside for a few minutes to cool off. Then remove the pot lid and cover it with a round serving tray or platter, hold the platter and the pot handles from each side then flip the entire pot. You can get rid of the extra cooking liquid before flipping the pot if any. If you don't feel comfortable filliping the pot you can pick some from the top of the pot into a plate.
Malfouf is served hot with the unpeeled garlic cloves cooked in between, which are turned soft and creamy after cooking, squeezing fresh lemon juice over malfouf while serving is a must. It can also be served next to plain yogurt, cucumber yogurt salad, or any other basic salad.
Substitution and Variation
- You can use minced meat instead of ground.
- You can use peeled garlic cloves but keep in mind they may get mushy while cooking.
Reheating and Storage
- Cooked malfouf can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- You can freeze cooked malfouf for up to 3 months stored in an airtight container.
- You can freeze uncooked rolled malfouf before cooking in the freezer for up to 3 months, but make sure the meat is fresh and hasn’t been previously frozen.
Pro Tips
- To make sure food won't be wasted, you can use the cabbage stem removed from each leaf by placing them at the bottom of the pot under the rolled malfouf and serve with the dish.
- Or you can chop them and saute them with olive oil and onions. Heat olive oil in a pot then caramelize onion chop cabbage stems and cook until tender, add salt and cumin.
- The inner core of the cabbage where the leaves are tight and won’t separate, can be stuffed with the remainder of the stuffing mixture if left with any.
- Cutting the head of the cabbage can be challenging, make sure to cut around the head with a sharp or pairing knife, then with your hands try to loosen the head until it comes out.
- When boiling the cabbage make sure the water is not filled to the top as you need to have enough space to place the cabbage.
- Make sure not to over-boil cabbage leaves, then they’ll be too soft and break while rolling, keep in mind the idea of boiling is to soften the leaves so they’re easy to roll.
- Make sure not to over stuff the cabbage leaf.
- Since rolling malfouf can be time consuming, the process can be done a day before and kept in the fridge.
FAQ
Can I make this recipe vegetarian?
Yes, you can. You can mix the rice stuffing with chickpeas (cooked or canned) onions, tomatoes, and the same spices used with the filling mixture.
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More Delicious Recipes
Malfouf
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Palestinian, Middle Eastern
Description
Malfouf is stuffed cabbage leaves filled with a flavorful mixture of ground meat, rice, and spices rolled and then cooked. Served hot with lots of squeezed fresh lemon juice.
Malfouf is the perfect meal during cold weather, it’s a hearty warm dish making it a popular choice for family gatherings, special occasions, and any weekday dinner night.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Egyptian or cal-rose rice, washed and rinsed
- 2 medium size cabbage
- ½ pound ground or minced lamb or beef (or a mixture of both)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoon salt (and some to add with boiled water)
- ¼ cup of neutral or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 heads of garlic
- fresh lemon juice (as needed)
Instructions
Preparing the Cabbage:
- With a sharp or pairing knife cut around on top to remove the head of the cabbage.
- Fill up a large pot with hot water over medium heat, sprinkle some salt, place the cabbage, and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Once boiling, the leaves start to loosen, you can use a pair of tongs and gently help to peel off the leaves. Keep them in the boiling water under medium heat for another 2 minutes, make sure that the leaves are completely dipped in water.
- With using tongs pick the leaves in a strainer to drain and cool off.
Preparing the Stuffing
- In a bowl, add washed and rinsed rice, meat (minced or ground), cumin, allspice, salt, and neutral or olive oil.
- Mix all together until well combined.
Rolling Cabbage Leaves
- Cut off large stalks in the middle of each leaf and cut the leaf from the middle splitting it into two.
- Place each leaf on a smooth surface. Add about one teaspoon of the rice mixture to each leaf and then spread it across the leaf.
- Roll the leaf forward toward the stuffing (it's okay to leave the roll edges open). Repeat for each leaf until all leaves are rolled.
- Fill up the pot and in between layers scatter unpeeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle salt on the top of the pot, and butter or oil then pour hot boiled water, filling up about ¾ of the pot. Place on high-medium heat, once it starts boiling, cover it with the lid and let it simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Notes
- To make sure food won't be wasted, you can use the cabbage stem removed from each leaf by placing them at the bottom of the pot under the rolled malfouf and serve with the dish.
- Or you can chop them and saute them with olive oil and onions. Heat olive oil in a pot then caramelize onion chop cabbage stems and cook until tender, add salt and cumin.
- The inner core of the cabbage where the leaves are tight and won’t separate, can be stuffed with the remainder of the stuffing mixture if left with any.
- Cutting the head of the cabbage can be challenging, make sure to cut around the head with a sharp or pairing knife, then with your hands try to loosen the head until it comes out.
- When boiling the cabbage make sure the water is not filled to the top as you need to have enough space to place the cabbage.
- Make sure not to over-boil cabbage leaves, then they’ll be too soft and break while rolling, keep in mind the idea of boiling is to soften the leaves so they’re easy to roll.
- Make sure not to over stuff the cabbage leaf.
- Since rolling malfouf can be time consuming, the process can be done a day before and kept in the fridge.
Keywords: Malfouf, stuffed cabbage leaves, rolled cabbage
em says
made this tonight! so delicious and made my house smell amazing 🙂 perfect for a rainy night. thank you for sharing your recipe, sending love from los angeles
★★★★★
Wafa Shami says
That's great. I'm glad you enjoyed it.