Malfouf

Mar 20, 2025

This is a dish that’s known world wide and each country has their take on it but I in my super biased opinion, the Levant does it best. It’s called Malfouf which translates to “wrapped” or “rolled” and that’s exactly what this is. They’re cabbage leaves stuffed with the traditional Levant stuffing of rice and beef and boiled in a super tart lemon broth. They’re super juicy and moist, packed with flavor, and very pretty as well. I think they go roll for roll with the stuffed grape leaves but that’s just my take.

Serves: 4

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 Green Cabbage
10 Garlic Cloves (divided)
3-4 Lemons
2 cups Short Grain Rice
1 lbs Ground Beef
2 tsp Salt (divided)
1 tbsp Arabic 7 spice
1 tsp Cumin
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Cut the cabbage head near the root to loosen the leaves from the thick root. Place in a large pot of boiling water and an tsp of salt and cover for a few minutes.

As the layers soften they will start to pull away making them easy to remove and set aside. Continue until all layers of the cabbage have been peeled. Then remove the thick stems from the leaves so they can roll easily.

Mix the rice and ground beef together and season with a tsp of salt and the Arabic 7 spice.

Cut the thick part of the stem off then roll each leaf with 2-3 tbsp of filling. Set aside seam side down to keep them from unrolling.

Get a large heavy bottom pot and add the olive oil and the thick stems that were cut from the cabbage and half the garlic (5 cloves).

Stack the roll in the pot until all rolls have been place in the pot. Place an upside down plate at the top to weigh down the rolls and add enough water to cover a half inch above the plate. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.