6 Servings
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Allergens
Esty’s kitchen is being taken over by a special guest—her mom! Esty may not make the best stuffed cabbage (or Haluptzii), but she’s going to give you the recipe. Watch her mother’s expert cabbage stuffing and rolling, making a unique and delicious stuffed cabbage for Sukkot or Simchat Torah!
Use a paring knife to remove the core from the cabbage. Carefully lower the cabbage head into a pot of boiling water.
Peel off the outer cabbage leaves as soon as they become flexible and remove from the pot. Continue with the remainder of the cabbage until the entire head is done. This step may be prepared in advance.
Mix filling ingredients well and set aside.
Use a paring knife to remove the thick rib from each cabbage leaf. Use the center vein as a guide to tear each large leaf in half.
Place half a cabbage leaf into your palm. Add a mound of filling to the edge closest to the stem.
Fold the stem end over the filling to enclose and continue rolling the remainder of the cabbage leaf around to create a cone-shaped cabbage roll. Tuck the ends into the center to seal.
Slice a few of the smaller cabbage leaves and layer them in the bottom of a wide pot to create a bed for the cabbage rolls.
Place the filled cabbage rolls onto the sliced cabbage in layers with the wider end of the rolls toward the outer edge of the pot and the point toward the center. Continue until the cabbage and filling is complete, then top with any remaining cabbage pieces.
In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the tomato paste, sugar and water to create a smooth sauce. Pour over the cabbage rolls in the pot and add more water to cover.
Top with an inverted heat-proof dish to keep the rolls submerged. Cover partially and allow to simmer for one hour.
Tips:
**These freeze beautifully! Prepare as directed without the sauce. When ready to cook, defrost, layer and simmer in the sauce. They may be frozen after they’re fully cooked but we much prefer them frozen before they’re cooked.
**If you prefer sweet stuffed cabbage, simply add sugar to your taste.
**These may be baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, just make sure there’s enough liquid for the rice to absorb and place a pan underneath to catch any drips. Add water as needed.
Notes:
Ask your local rabbi about checking produce for bug infestation.
I enjoyed this video and watched it before making my own stuffed cabbage. While I’ve made stuffed cabbage (“chaluptchkes”) for years, the way Estie’s mother rolled them was fascinating to me.
I would have wanted to see that technique closer up and several times more but it turned out that I absorbed enough of it — because my own cabbage roll ups came out so nicely this year, due to this technique.
Thanks so much!
Tamar Ansh
Why do stuffed cabbage get hard? Too much rice? Not enough sauce?
Maybe try making it in a bigger dish. Add more sauce.
Should the rice be cooked or raw? Thx!
Raw 🙂 You can watch Esty make it with her mom in the video above!
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thanks Esty and mama
the recipe was delicious and easy i am 12 years old and it came out beautiful thanks again for all your most amazing recipes
I am going to try this recipe, I’ve always made sweet but I’m ready to try savory. I live in Israel and can’t find curly cabbage, is regular okay?
Thanks.
You’re mom is so cute
Update: I made the recipe and I’m very happy I did. It was so delicious, but the way your mother wrapped up the stuffed cabbage didn’t quiet work out for me. I need her to do a close up video of her technique on the way she wrapped them up. Otherwise I’ll have to go back to the way I used to wrap it. But the meat mixture was so delicious.
Thanks
My Hungarian mother used regular cabbage. She always made it savory and it was delicious!