Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

A very popular dish in Hungary, made with pork, sauerkraut and rice.

There are as many stuffed cabbage recipes as are regions or even restaurants in Hungary. This is one of those dishes that almost nobody prepares the same way - many versions have more tomato and no sauerkraut resulting in a much sweeter flavor. Traditional cabbage rolls are often served at weddings and Christmas as well.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2 pounds) ground pork

• 1 head sour cabbage

• 1 kg (2 pounds) chopped sour cabbage (sauerkraut)

• ca. 1.5 liter water

• 400 ml tomato juice

• 100g rice

• 2 onions

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1.5 tablespoon Hencher Sweet Paprika powder

• 1 teaspoon Hencher Hot Paprika powder

• 15g salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 50g lard

• Serve with: 200 ml sour cream

Preparation

1. Peel and dice onions into small cubes. Peel the garlic and crush it with a garlic press.

2. Rinse rice with a sieve.

3. Add ground pork, onions, garlic, rice and spices to a large enough pot. Mix them thoroughly. Leave to sit for 1-2 hours so that the flavors can come alive.

4. Start separating the cabbage leaves. Depending of what size cabbage you can get your hands on. You may choose smaller or larger stuffing portions, just make sure they are all similar sizes. Keep in mind that the larger outer leaves will have to accommodate the same stuffing size as the smaller inner leaves. Larger leaves may also be cut up so that they are roughly the same size as the inner leaves. Use leftover pieces as layering in the next steps.

5. Form stuffings by hand by gently pressing them into an oblong, oval shape. Place the stuffing into the leaf and roll them up. Fold the ends inside. Once all the rolls are done, let’s start building the layers.

6. Rub some lard on the bottom of a pot and lay down the leftover pieces of cabbage leaves then place the rolls and the sauerkraut in layers.

7. When all the layers are in pour the tomato juice on top and fill the pot with water so that it covers the whole pile.

8. Cook for 120 minutes on medium heat with the lid on. Carefully wiggle the pot so that the water mixes well but do not stir with a spoon because the rolls might break up.

9. Plate the rolls on a bed of the chopped cabbage and top the dish with some sour cream.