Vegan Cabbage Rolls
In Greek culture, vegan recipes come from the religious practice of fasting during Lent (and other periods during the year). This is one of my favourite recipes because it can be made with or without meat, and it's a dish that throws the concept of 'authenticity' on its head as cabbage rolls (or dolma) feature in Greek, Romanian, Russian, Persian, Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish cuisine (just to name a few). This dish is so versatile and is brilliant hot or cold. For vegetarians, serve with a side of feta and some watercress tzatziki.
Ingredients
- 1 whole cabbage
- 3 small onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup long-grain rice
- handful dill, finely chopped
- handful parsley, finely chopped
- handful mint, finely chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 small courgette, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh shavings of nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- For the lemon sauce:
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons plain flour
Directions
- Step 1 Boil the whole head of cabbage some salted water, discarding any damaged outer leaves. You will start to smell when the cabbage is cooked and the leaves start to become translucent. Remove from the pot and leave to cool in a colander.
- Step 2 Mix together all the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
- Step 3 Line a heavy pan with a few of the boiled cabbage leaves. Use a tablespoon to fill the cabbage leaves and wrap. Fill the pan from the outside in, seam-side down.
- Step 4 Once all the rolls are fit snuggly in the pan, cover with about 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20- 30 minutes. The water should be gone and the rice cooked.
- Step 5 For the lemon sauce, whisk the lemon juice and flour together until frothy, and pour over the cabbage rolls while in the pan. Serve hot or cold.
Food is everyone’s language. This recipe draws from many cultural traditions and gives us the opportunity to reflect on the role of food in culture and the making of our identities. While you wrap the cabbage rolls, as people have down for thousands of years before us, bring to mind a food tradition, practice or technique that has been passed down to you and the role it has played in your life.
