Mahshi Malfouf (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls) 3 Ways to Plate this Dish.
Mahshi Malfouf (Stuffed cabbage) is a very popular dish around the world, Central, Northern, Eastern Europe, West Asia, Northern China, as well as the Middle East. The most popular way to cook the Malfouf is by having rice and meat as the stuffing for the cabbage then adding tomato-based sauces on the top of the stuffed cabbage, it can be cooked in a pot on top of a stove or baked in an oven. I have changed this recipe to make it my special recipe different than it usually made. Also, you can serve this recipe in 3 different ways. The first way to serve this recipe is by placing one cooked cabbage leave in the middle of the plate adding cooked rice on top, cooked chicken, green pepper, carrots, zucchini, red onions, and avocado. Then garnish with the cilantro, sour cream and your favorite salsa. The second way to plate this dish is having one cooked cabbage leaves then spread a thin layer of cooked rice on the top, then add the cooked chicken and vegetables in the middle of the cabbage leave and rolled it, you can serve it as is. The third way to serve this dish is when you roll the cabbage with the cooked rice and chicken, then adding the vegetables you can cut it in half-inch round and serve as appetizers. You can also secure the small bites of rolled cabbage by toothpick to keep them in place and its make’s beautiful appetizers dish to eat. Enjoy!
Ingredients for the rice:
2 cups raw rice (long grain, jasmine, short grain rice)
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon corn oil
Salt as preferred
Directions for the rice:
Place rice in a bowl and wash the rice and swish with your hands. Drain and do the same process about 3 times until the water is clear. This process will help remove excess starch and clean the grains.
On high heat put the pot add corn oil, the washed rice, add the water and salt. When the water starts bubbling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and keep it covered for about 5 minutes. Then put in in a bowl to let the rice to cool off.
Ingredient for the cabbage head:
1 large size cabbage head
Water
Salt
Direction for the cabbage head:
Place the cabbage on a flat surface and cut a circle around the stem and remove the core. In a large pot filled with water and salt, let it boil then place the cabbage inside the pot. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove the cabbage leaves with tongs and put on dry paper towels and let it completely cool off. It usually not all the cabbage leaves will be tender, remove the tender leaves, and return the uncooked cabbages leave back in the pot to cook more.
Ingredient for the chicken:
1 lb breast chicken (cut in strips ½ inch thick and 4 inches long)
salt as preferred
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoon olive oil
Direction for the Chicken:
Heat the oven for 400 degrees, in cookie sheet add the chicken, salt, cumin, black pepper, coriander, garam masala, paprika and olive oil mix well. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and let it cool off completely.
Ingredients Vegetables:
1 Green pepper cut in thin stripes
1 red onion cut in thin stripes
1 zucchini cut in stripes
2 cups of baby carrots cut in thin strips
1 avocado cut in thin strips
2 cups of cilantro
Direction:
Take one cabbage leave, spread a thin layer of rice over the cabbage, add 2 strips of chicken, 2 strips of green pepper, few of the red onion, 1 or 2 slices of zucchini, carrots, and avocado, then add the cilantro do not overfill so you can roll it easily. Roll the stuffed cabbage. You can keep it as rolled and eat it this way for you can cut the roll into ½ inch and make them as small bites
First way to plate: Cabbage leave, rice, chicken, green pepper, red onion, zucchini, carrots, avocado, cilantro, sour cream and salsa.
Second way to plate
Third way to plat