Lahana Sarmasi (Vegetarian Cabbage Dolma)

5 from 1 vote

Lahana Sarmasi (Vegetarian Cabbage Dolma)

Lahana sarmasi, or "lahana dolma", are traditional Turkish stuffed cabbage rolls full of rice and loaded with herbs and aromatic spices. Serve with dill yogurt sauce, spicy tomato sauce, and/or bread.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2 30

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: lahana dolma, lahana dolmasi, lahana sarma, lahana sarmasi

Servings: servings

Calories: 813kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

2 large heads of cabbage
3 cups jasmine rice
1 bunch Italian parsley (chopped)
1 bunch cilantro (chopped)
⅓ cup fresh dill
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cayenne (optional)
1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate (optional)
6 oz tomato paste
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp dill weed (for sprinkling over each layer)

Cooking Liquid

6 oz tomato paste
3 cups water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

Spicy Tomato Sauce (Optional)

4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion (diced)
6 oz tomato paste
4 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne
2 cup water

Yogurt Sauce (Optional)

8 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp citric acid
2 clove garlic
½ cup fresh dill (chopped)

Garnish Ingredients (Optional)

2 Tbsp Italian parsley (chopped)
1 Tbsp fresh dill (chopped)
1 Tbsp Aleppo pepper

Instructions

Carefully carve the core out of the cabbages using a sharp serrated knife. I find the best way is to saw through the cabbage similarly to how you would carve a pumpkin, making sure to cut away from yourself. You should be able to pull the core out by wiggling it slightly; if it doesn't easily come out, you may need to cut a little deeper. Discard the core.
Add cabbage to a large stockpot and boil until the leaves begin to soften and change color. When the leaves begin to fall away from the cabbage, use a pair of tongs to gently pull them off, setting them aside in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, rinse the rice and soak for 20 minutes in a large mixing bowl, then strain. Add in chopped Italian parsley, cilantro, fresh dill, and diced onion, along with freshly minced garlic, spices, tamarind concentrate, tomato paste, and olive oil. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Discard 2-4 of the outermost leaves if necessary, as these tend to be bruised, torn, and not as fresh as the internal leaves. Use a paring knife to de-stem all viable leaves, saving 10-20 of them to line the bottom of the pot, which will prevent the lahana dolma from burning. Cut the de-stemmed leaves into small triangular pieces, about the size of a tortilla chip. The larger leaves will yield around 5 pieces, whereas smaller leaves will usually only yield 3 or so. Place cut cabbage leaves in a large bowl and set aside.
To roll, place about 1-2 Tbsp of the rice mixture in the center of the wide end of the cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides, then start to roll the cabbage leaf in an upward motion, starting from the bottom. The lahana sarma should be wrapped tightly so they don’t come apart while cooking, but not so tightly that you risk them ripping as the rice expands during the cooking process.
Carefully transfer the lanaha sarmasi to a large, wide pot, sprinkling dill weed over the cabbage rolls between layers. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. This will cause the lahana dolmasi to release some of its liquid, which will begin to steam the rice.
In a large measuring cup, combine tomato paste, water, sugar, citric acid, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. Whisk until consistent, then pour over the lahana sarma. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook until juices are absorbed and rice is tender. This usually takes an hour to an hour and a half.
In a small saucepan, sauté diced onions in olive oil until translucent, about five minutes. Mix in tomato paste, paprika, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and water, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, then serve alongside lahana sarmasi.
In a large bowl, combine Greek yogurt, water, salt, citric acid, minced garlic, and chopped fresh dill. Mix until consistent, then serve alongside lahana sarma.

Notes

You shouldn’t have to work hard to peel the leaves away. When they’re ready, they just need a gentle tug, and they’ll come right off. Usually, the center of the cabbage will need more time than the outer leaves. Be careful not to keep them in too longor they’ll start to fall apart.
If you end up with extra filling, you can use it to stuff other vegetables such as bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, grape leaves, etc. I personally like to use an onion just because I always have them on hand, and they’re super easy to stuff. Just peel the onion and cut the ends off, then slice the onion halfway through the middle and boil. The layers will become soft and pliable after 5-10 minutes. Pull the layers apart, then stuff with rice. The outer layers can be halved to make two pieces.
I find that a 5-qt. rondeau pot like the one pictured works best. Deeper pots or Dutch ovens can be used if necessary, but I find that this tends to result in uneven cooking, specifically the bottom layers cooking faster than the top ones.
You’ll most likely need to boil each head of cabbage separately. The cabbages will try to float on the surface of the water, which is fine, but I try to flip the cabbage periodically so it cooks evenly.
Try to keep the size of the cabbage rolls as consistent as possible to ensure even cooking.
Leftover rice filling can be frozen for later use.
When properly stored in the fridge in an airtight container, lahana dolmasi will keep up to 2 weeks.
To reheat, I recommend drizzling with spicy tomato sauce, then microwaving in 1-minute intervals until heated through before topping with yogurt sauce.

Nutrition