Stosie Madi’s vegan recipe for Lebanese stuffed cabbage rolls

Jan 25, 2024

Beans, herbs and Levantine spices combined with fragrant basmati, stuffed into cabbage leaves and baked in a hearty stock

Stuffed vegetables, or mehshé in Arabic, are among my all-time favourite dishes, and stuffed cabbage-leaf rolls, which are found in some form or other all over Europe and the Middle East, are hard to beat. The Lebanese version makes use of aromatic spices and is a great vegan alternative to traditional meat-stuffed rolls. As a child, and especially at Lent, I would spend many happy hours helping my Lebanese teta (grandma) meticulously fill and roll cabbage and vine leaves with gorgeous spiced rice. She always made such light work of making huge panfuls of delicate, pretty little rolls. I’ve always preferred larger ones, so often got a ticking-off for not making them smaller and tighter, because larger rolls do not taste or look as good, and are apparently a sign of impatience. She knew me well, my teta.

These can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and baked the day after. They also freeze well.

Prep 15 minCook 1 hr 30 minServes 4 Salt and black pepper200g basmati rice100g cooked fresh broad beans (frozen and defrosted will do, but at this time of year it seems a shame not to use fresh)1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped50g toasted pine nuts Zest and juice of 3 lemons 50g coriander, leaves and soft stems chopped50g mint, leaves and soft stems chopped2 tsp ground cumin 100g vegan butter, softened (not melted) – I use Flora2 large spring cabbages (about 700g in total), ideally ones with large green leaves1 garlic bulb, cloves separated, peeled and left whole1 green chilli (optional)1 litre vegetable stock

Fill a large pan with a litre and a half of water, add a good 10g pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wash the rice under cold running water until it runs clear. Drain the rice, drop it into the boiling water, cook for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water, to cool it down and to stop it cooking any further.

Put the beans, spring onions, pine nuts, lemon zest, coriander, mint and cumin in a large bowl, add the cooled rice and season generously. Stir in half the softened butter, and mix until everything is well combined.

Refill the rice pot with another litre and a half of water and 10g salt, bring to a boil, then plunge in the whole spring cabbages and blanch for two minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, then carefully cut off eight of the largest leaves and set these aside. Finely chop up the cabbage hearts and stalks, then stir them into the rice mix.

Divide the rice mix into eight equal portions. Lay one of the reserved cabbage leaves on a flat surface and put one portion of the stuffing in the middle. Fold over the sides of the leaf, to cover the filling, then roll up the leaf away from you, to seal. Repeat with the remaining leaves and stuffing.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Melt the remaining 50g butter in a small pan, then brush it all over the base of an ovenproof earthenware dish or oven tray, or similar. Add the peeled garlic cloves, toss to coat them in the butter, then arrange the cabbage rolls tightly next to each other in the dish. Drop in the whole chilli, if using (I use it more just to scent the dish, but if you prefer a bit more heat, split it lengthways first), then pour the vegetable stock over the lot.

Bake for 40 minutes, then remove and serve hot or at room temperature, with good bread and/or a cucumber and mint salad.

Stosie Madi is chef/co-owner of The Parkers Arms in Newton-in-Bowland, Lancashire