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Cabbage Rolls in Yogurt Sauce

Cabbage rolls stuffed with a veal or beef and pork mixture, simmered in water and served with a yogurt sauce.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Cabbage Rolls in Yogurt Sauce

Time10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Boil the cabbage leaves in salted water until they look cooked and are just bendable enough to roll. Drain and allow to cool during the following steps.

  2. Lightly fry the finely chopped spring onions in a small amount of oil, and stir in a teaspoon or more of paprika.

  3. Add the meat, rice, pepper, mint, and finely chopped parsley, then cook until the meat looks almost done.

  4. Add ¾ cup of water. Bring to a boil. Immediately cover and reduce heat to a bare minimum.

  5. Cook for 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed by the rice. Uncover and fluff as needed with a small spatula or spoon.

  6. Allow to cool to handling temperature.

Roll and simmer

  1. Put 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture on each leaf and roll into a fully enclosed package, similar to a small egg roll.

  2. Arrange the rolls in a saucepan, add 1½ cups of warm water, cover, and simmer gently over low heat.

Sauce and serve

  1. Mix the yogurt with a bit of paprika for color (or omit if you wish to keep the dish somewhat white in color), and other spices as you desire.

  2. When rolls are done, allow to cool a bit, gently transfer to a dish, and add the yogurt mixture to coat. Serve with vegetables of your choice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1068Calories
80 gProtein
43 gFat
90 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 14 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Pork100g cooked242
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Vealnot in our table0
Peppermintnot in our table0
Sunflower Oilnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Parsley + minttop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,198 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,843 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  4. Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,433 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Mint + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,372 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Minced veal or beef
Provides the main meaty filling and richness once cooked through.
Minced pork
Adds fat that keeps the filling moist and tender during cooking.
Rice
Absorbs cooking liquid and softens, giving the filling body and moisture.
Yogurt
Forms a tangy sauce that coats the rolls and adds creaminess and acidity.
Cabbage or grape leaves
Wrap the filling and become tender enough to roll and hold it in place.

The step that matters

Cook the rice filling on very low heat with a tight lid. Once the water boils, low heat and a covered pot let the rice absorb the liquid evenly and steam until tender. Too much heat can scorch the bottom or leave the rice firm and uneven.

Swap the mint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pork, onion, rice, yogurt, parsley, pepper):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pork, onion, rice, yogurt, parsley, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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