I call this recipe 'Egyptian' to distinguish it from other stuffed cabbage recipes. I've never been to Egypt but my friend Sayyid's wife taught me how to make these stuffed leaves and she's Egyptian. That's enough for me. You can use any kind of cabbage, but Jihan used the greenish-white kind with a firm heart. If it's too firm, however, you will have difficulty getting the leaves off in one piece. Don't worry too much though if they tear a bit - the recipe will work out okay.
Ingredients
1 cabbage
1 mug of dry rice
2 tomatoes
A bunch of parsley
A bunch of dill
4 or 5 spring onions
2 or 3 sprigs of mint
1 small onion
A little olive oil
Salt
For the filling, chop the tomato and all the green stuff finely and mix them with the rice and a pinch of salt. To stuff the leaves, take a leaf and lay it flat on a chopping board. Cut along either side of the mid-rib so that you have two pieces with no thick bit. We don't use the ribs here, but you could make a salad or something with them. If the leaf is really big you can even half the pieces again. Place one teaspoon of filling on a piece of leaf and roll it up, tucking the ends in if you can, to make a cigar shape. Don't use more than a teaspoon of filling or your stuffed leaves will be crap. Throw away any left over filling and don't be tempted to start squeezing more in. Trust me.
Layer the stuffed leaves in a heavy pan. A big deep frying pan is ideal. Don't squeeze them too close side by side as they need some room to expand and the cooking liquid should have room to circulate. Cover the leaves with the cooking liquid that you saved earlier. It should cover the leaves by about 2 cm - add more water if necessary. Bring the pan to the boil and as you're waiting, chop the onion and fry it in olive oil until it's brown. Pour the oil and onions onto the leaves and add a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pan. Cook until all the water has been absorbed. This should take about 40 minutes. Serve the leaves hot or cold.