Stuffed Cabbage | Ufra Chilli Tomato Sauce

Stuffed Cabbage With Ufra Chilli Tomato Sauce

I have played around with this recipe for about two years and always forgotten to share it.  Mainly because I was never happy enough with the end result.  Finally, I have sorted it out!  I had to go down the Asian mushroom gochujang route on Boxing Day to finally end up with a more Middle Eastern flavour combination. 

These should kickstart your Veganuary with a bang!  You can use any harissa paste for the tomato sauce but I used the new ufra chilli paste from Belazu which is from a Turkish dried chilli.  Just half the quantities for a smaller portion. Also in the photo, I topped the parcels with tahini paste whipped together with water, salt, pepper and lemon juice but it’s not essential.

Vegan / GF 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 savoy cabbage, leaves carefully separated and stalk removed

For the sauce:

1 tin plum tomatoes/250ml (plus 1/2 tin of water)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp Ufra chilli paste or any harissa - depending on your spice tolerance

60g sun-dried tomatoes

Salt and pepper

For the filling:

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

200g firm tofu

1 medium white onion, diced

Leftover over cabbage, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, diced

2 tsp ground paprika

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp cumin powder 

200g cooked chickpeas

50g dried apricots, very finely diced

Zest of 1 lemon

Boil 20 large cabbage leaves for about 5 mins until soft and then drain to cool.  The remaining cabbage can be finely chopped for the filling.

How To Prepare Your Tomato Stuffed Cabbage

Preheat the oven to a 200C degrees fan.

In a large non-stick frying pan, set to medium to high heat and add 3 spoons of olive oil.  Grate the tofu straight into the pan and season generously with salt and pepper.  Mix and fry for about 5-6 mins to crisp up.  Scrape onto a plate.

With the same heat and pan, add another 2 spoons of olive oil followed by the onion and fry for 3 minutes.  Add the chopped cabbage and cook down for another 3 mins.  Add the garlic and fry for 1 min.  Next, spoon in the 3 spices, chickpeas, apricots, crispy tofu and lemon zest.  Cook for 2 mins adding more olive oil if needed and season.  Take off heat and add sesame oil.

Add all the ingredients for the sauce and blend until smooth.  Check the seasoning on the chilli adding more if needed.  Add half the sauce to the bottom of a large 20cm by 30cm baking dish and spread it out evenly.  Fill a cabbage leaf with 1.5-2 tablespoons of filling, fold the sides into the centre and tuck under the front and back creating a parcel and lay into the tray.  Continue with the rest until all of the fillings have gone. 

Pour over the leftover sauce, drizzle a splash of olive oil and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 mins or until the tops have coloured.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  This can be made the day ahead and baked when needed.