2 medium onions
1 carrot
50 ml olive oil, for sautéing the vegetables
4 tablespoons red pepper paste (if you don’t have any, blend 2 kapia peppers)
460 g smoked tofu
220 g rice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp chopped dill
1 tablespoon tomato sauce (to bind the mixture)
1 head of pickled cabbage (fresh cabbage can also works)
2–3 sprigs of dried thyme
200 ml tomato juice
800 ml boiling water
Cooking instructions. Step by step
1. Peel the onion and the carrot, finely chop the onion, and grate the carrot. (I know many people don’t add carrot, but since these cabbage rolls are meatless, it adds extra flavor and aroma.)
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and carrot until they start to soften. Add the kapia pepper paste, stir well, and cook over low heat for another 3–4 minutes. (I use homemade kapia pepper paste; if you don’t have any, you can blend 2 kapia peppers.)
4. Crumble the smoked tofu and add it to the pan. Stir well and sauté for another 5–6 minutes. (It’s important to use the smoked version, as it works best for this recipe.)If you don’t consume tofu, you can replace it with brown lentils, pre-cooked in advance. (If using lentils, add one tablespoon of smoked paprika to achieve a lightly smoky flavor.)
5. Add the rice, previously rinsed, salt and pepper (use sparingly, as the tofu is already salty), the finely chopped fresh dill, and the tomato sauce to bind the mixture. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
6. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool while you prepare the cabbage leaves.
7. Prepare the pickled cabbage leaves (you can also use fresh cabbage), cut off the thick stems, and set them aside. (I use pickled cabbage that I soak overnight, changing the water 2–3 times.)
8. Place the cabbage stems on the bottom of the pot, then fill the cabbage leaves with the mixture and roll the cabbage rolls. Arrange them in the pot, side by side, and cover them with a layer of cabbage leaves on top.
9. Mix the tomato juice with the hot water and pour it over the cabbage rolls. The liquid doesn’t need to fully cover them, as they will also cook in the steam.
10. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the cabbage rolls over low heat until cooked through. (They can also be baked in the oven, but I prefer cooking them on the stovetop because they’re ready faster.)The cabbage rolls are done when the rice is fully cooked, the cabbage leaves are tender, and the sauce has thickened nicely.
