Stuffed cabbage from grape leaf - secrets of cooking a Caucasian dish 🍇

Kitchen appliances and utensils:

• gas burner or hob;
• deep capacity;
• sieve;
• colander;
• cutting board;
• 5 liter pan;
• kitchen weighing;
• beaker;
• 1 liter pan;
• knife;
• tea spoon;
• deep bowl;
• cauldron of 7 liters with a lid;
• a plate with a diameter slightly less than a cauldron;
• scapula;
• garlic press;
• kitchen scissors;
• dish;
• gravy boat.

Ingredients

Step cooking

Product Preparation

1. Peel 5 onions from the husks and grind them very finely.
   
2. Peel 1 onion from the husk and cut it into half rings.
   
3. We wash 1 bunch of dill, 1 bunch of cilantro and 1 bunch of parsley under running water, dry them, cut the stems, and then chop all the greens.
   
4. We peel 1 head of garlic from the husk, divide into slices, remove the husk from them, then set aside 3 slices for the sauce, the rest will go into the stuffing.
   
5. Pour 180 g of rice into a sieve and rinse it under cold running water until the effluent is clear. In a deep container we place 1200 g of minced pork and beef, add finely chopped onion, herbs, 1 tsp. dried basil, washed rice, garlic cloves passed through a press, 1.5 tsp. salt and 0.5 tsp ground black pepper.
   
6. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
   
7. Pour 1 liter of water into a liter pan, put on a large fire and wait for the liquid to boil. We wash 50 grape leaves under running water, and then remove the cuttings with scissors.
   
8. We put grape leaves in a 5-liter pan, then fill them with 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes to make the leaves elastic.
   
9. After 10 minutes, drain the water, put the leaves in a colander and let the excess liquid drain.
   

Stuffed cabbage

1. We put 1 grape leaf on the working surface with the glossy side down, put 1.5 teaspoons of minced meat on its base.
   
2. With our hands we give it an oblong shape and wrap it, covering one side of the lower edge of the sheet, then the other, then alternately wrap the sides in the middle and then roll the future stuffed roll.
   
3. In a similar way, we form the rest of the product until the leaves and stuffing run out.
   
4. At the bottom of the cauldron, put 100 g of butter, turn on the medium heat under it and wait for the butter to melt.
   
5. When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion to it and fry until golden.
   
6. When the onion is fried, reduce the heat to the minimum and carefully lay the stuffed cabbage in the cauldron.
   
7. On top of cabbage rolls we put a plate with a diameter smaller than the cauldron, pour 500-700 ml of water so that the liquid reaches the edges of the plate, and increase the heat. When the water boils, add 1 tsp. salt, close the cauldron with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer the stuffed cabbage for 45 minutes.
   

Sauce

1. In a deep bowl we pour 200 ml of kefir 2.5%, squeeze into it through a press 3 cloves of garlic, add 0.5 tsp. salt, 0.5 tspground black pepper and mix everything with a teaspoon until smooth.
   
2. After 45 minutes, turn off the fire under the cauldron, remove the cabbage rolls, put them on a dish, put a saucepan with kefir sauce in the middle and serve.
   

Video recipe

If you need to see how to wrap minced meat in grape leaves or how to properly cover the items with a plate, you should see these points in the video recipe.

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