Stuffed Cabbage (a.k.a. Golubtsi / Holubtsi / Halupki / Golumpki)

[@RichardDurishin]

Thank you Helen. My Russian father took his mother's recipe to his grave. Now, I play with yours in preparation to pass it to my daughter.

[@ritparent7239]

It wasn't until after my Polish grandmother died that EVERYBODY asked how she made her golabki...and no one knew exactly how. So now, like you...I borrow techniques from other Slavs in an attempt to recreate the particular flavor that she alone created. It is a never ending refinement and journey of love of this Slavic comfort food. Slava Slavyanam!

[@actually_a_circle]

My grandmother has a sourdough recipe she changes every time we ask, I hate that the day will come when we will eat it no longer.

[@rumbleinthekitchen_Amy]

I make my mother-in-law's Sarmas and she taught me the coolest trick to avoid blanching the cabbage leaves. Her mother taught her to freeze the whole cabbage head in the freezer (or outside if you live in a cold climate like we do here in MN) until it's frozen solid. Defrost in a big bowl the night before you want to make the rolls. When the cabbage is defrosted just peel the leaves and proceed with filling and rolling. I know it sounds fiddly but it is really easy!

[@susanpremo8068]

Yes, in Minnesota too, St. Paul.

[@garywallenphd885]

problem is the cabbage leaves won’t be properly seasoned by boiling in the salted water

[@rumbleinthekitchen_Amy]

@@garywallenphd885 I've never had that problem. There's enough salinity in both the meat mixture & the sauce to season the cabbage properly. Many sarmas call for the addition of sauerkraut, so if anything people need to be careful that the dish doesn't become overly salty.

[@rumbleinthekitchen_Amy]

@@susanpremo8068 Saint Paul girl here too! 😉

[@susanpremo8068]

@@rumbleinthekitchen_Amy we , my dad, made homemade sauerkraut once! It smelled up the whole house, like cooking fish, both outside projects.

[@geerussell]

I followed this recipe exactly and it 100% delivers as advertised. Delicious, satisfying comfort food. A good bit of work involved but completely worth it for the results.

[@helenrennie]

so glad it turned out well :)

[@ruthb7335]

@@helenrennie in Lithuanian is called Balandeliai. Also, you should do cold beetroot soup. It is called "Šaltibarščiai"🥰

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Slavic comfort food. Those cabbage rolls look so good. Cheers, Helen! ✌️

[@JeffB-in-Fram-MA]

I always take about half a loop of kielbasa, chop it finely, and add it to the filling. Extra flavor!

[@Andriig75]

And bacon

[@showersmoker]

I can't believe I never thought of searing off cabbage rolls before. Genius!

[@Mateuszyk]

and where u from? ive been eating them whole life many diffrent ways. Love them all

[@GigaDavy91]

I use a similar recipe, but i cook the cabbage rolls in a pressure cooker, warm up the oven while they finish cooking in 15-20 minutes and then put the rolls in a baking pan in the oven to brown. Also i precook the cabbage leaves in broth that then i use reduced in the sauce (so that I catch the glutamate from the cabbage in the broth), And i cook the rice while i sautee the onions for the filling using just salted water cause it's easier to strain than the broth (cause i can just throw it away)

[@bryanrudelich1319]

I thought I knew how to make cabbage rolls but I picked up some very useful ideas for improvement. Thanks Helen.

[@MrKirby365]

Believe it or not that trick works outside of France I love you so much Helen!

[@simonalyneenderz3247]

I have different family recipe. We cook all the rolls in the dutch oven. We use sauerkraut, Brown sugar, tomatoes and their sauce/juice with onions and leftover cabbage inbetween layers. We used raw beef and rice as the filling. Bake it or place it in the crockpot. We serve them along side mashed potatoes and the stuffed cabbage sauce/gravy. As I was taught by my Father, his family was from several Eastern European countries. I am not sure what style our recipe derives from really. I can't wait! I want to try your version. Only wish my Father was still here to taste them! Thank you for your version of stuffed cabbage!!!

[@leozmaxwelljilliumz3360]

Best culinary teacher ever. Thank you!!

[@nilmalabanan]

This is probably my most favorite stuffed cabbage recipe, but then again all your recipes are absolutely perfect ❤

[@annamariemangili4869]

This was a perfect snow day project. There seem to be a lot of steps but they are all easy. I used 1 pound 80/20 ground beef and 1 pound ground pork. I used gelatin as mentioned. I laid out all the blanched leaves and divided the filling amongst them. I had 2 1/2 layers. After baking, I removed the rolls and thickened the sauce with a slurry of flour and water. I thought the flavor was great but I found the meat to be a bit dry. I had lots of sauce to moisten the rolls but the mouthfeel was still dry. Maybe they were overcooked a bit. We own a catering company and I think these would be a great make-ahead meal. I would recommend making this recipe. I'm going to try the saute trick tomorrow for breakfast! Thank you Helen for the recipe and detailed tutorial!

[@annamariemangili4869]

Update: Sooo much better the next day. Sauteed and served as recommended. The meat was so moist and sauce flavors had intensified.

[@timhourigan6257]

Большое спасибо, Елена! Ваши видео замечательные!

[@Maxaldojo]

Thanks for this recipe, Helen! M.A.S.H. 4077 was one of my favorite TV shows as a kid. Corporal Maxwell Klinger's (actor Jamie Farr is from Toledo, Ohio) favorite restaurant was Tony Packo's in Toledo. For 40 years, I've wanted to visit Tony Packo's and this week, I got the chance! Loaded hot dogs, chicken paprikas AND stuffed cabbage rolls where the perfect comfort food. I was in certain ethnic heaven! And, now I can make the pigs-in-a-blanket, myself!

[@MarzipanCastle]

I have been searching for a reliable recipe for stuffed cabbage and it has finally arrived! Yay!

[@RubyWuMiller]

I forgot to simmer the stuffed cabbage on the stovetop before placing it in the oven so I had to bake it for 2 hrs! It still turned out delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

[@CheeseDud]

Helen, that is a beautiful thumbnail image.

[@BAYDID_90]

Your skill in gastronomical alchemy is amazing 👌 Food magic ✨

[@ADeadlierSnake]

"...traditional ingredients in a slightly untraditional way." *checks cabinets for pomegranate molasses*

[@AniBAretz]

And I was thinking, "How about date syrup, a.k.a. silan?"

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

Loves the pomegranate molasses.

[@TheMeshal33]

She said you can use balsamic

[@sonostella]

Thats what persians use in our dolmeh which is similar to Holubtsi. You should try it you might like it 😊

[@ADeadlierSnake]

@@sonostella Maybe I shall! Ive only had dolma at Greek restaurants (spelled that way on their menus) and I've never heard of holubtsi. But I'm an adventurous home cook so maybe I'll try to make both. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@friendo760]

Thank you once again Helen...I can listen to your voice all day.

[@pinkmonkeybird2644]

Such wonderful childhood memories of galumpkis. My mom was 100% Irish but my dad is 100% Polish and my grandparents didn’t speak English at home. My mom made these for special occasions, and I didn’t really love them as a child. Now I associate them with happy times and remember helping my mom roll up the cabbage leaves, even though I complained about burning my fingers too much. I didn’t get my mom’s recipe before she died, but I think your recipe here captures the basics and elevates the humble dish to something special. I cannot wait to try this. Thank you again for your hard work. Your recipes and videos are always very detailed and precise, so it’s hard to fail with such a great roadmap.

[@bartosznowak7842]

Wow! Gołąbki! That's great ;) Greatings from Poland, I'm a big fan of your channel!

[@christinapeebles361]

This is phenomenal, Helen. I've never seen better cooking how to videos on KZbin. Thank you!

[@cynthialong688]

Thank you. What a great, helpful instructional video. I have watched approximately ten cabbage roll making videos: this is by far the most helpful. I look forward to looking at your other videos. 🙏🏽

[@debbiebragnalo48]

Thanks for sharing your way on how to cook the cabbage and how you roll 😀 👍

[@AstroDenny]

This is beautiful. My grandmother always used tomato juice for the sauce and cooked them covered for an hour and uncovered for 30 more minutes to get some nice crusty caramelization on the cabbage. This was and still is one of my favorite comfort foods! :-) Good video.

[@mags2763]

In South Africa we fill the cabbage with a meatball mix and also tomatoes in our sauce like a marinara sauce

[@ffwast]

My grandmother used her home canned tomato soup from home grown tomatoes, and mixed a jar into the filling

[@anncromwell8410]

This is a project but a wonderful recipe. thanks Helen.

[@annettepusateri1699]

I am so excited to have found this recipe! My mothet in law is Polish and would always make peirogi and galumpki for Christmas eve. I love the tradution and have been doing it myself for my family for over 30 years. This is despite the fact that she would never share her recipes with me. This galumpki was the best ive ever made. Ive got the peirogi down too. Now...if i could just find the recipe for the nut roll and poppyseed rolls . 😊

[@neilasmith-dorfman8185]

Thanks for another fun video! My Russian Jewish grandma did it differently- of course more kosher. But I remember she put ginger snaps and raisins in hers- it was delicious! I loved your salad video btw- so funny and you nailed it- my salads will never be the same (which is a good thing!)

[@druby60]

Made these cabbage rolls today & they were the best cabbage rolls I have ever had! Followed the recipe to a T .

[@serawasnever13]

What an incredible gift you give us! The sage knowledge you pass on to us so generously is VERY precious and to learn how to make truly delicious food is priceless. 💐

[@bfazakerly]

Wow! This is the best recipe that I have found. Your instructions are very clear. I love that you browned the cabbage rolls before serving.

[@h.collier3544]

I love the idea of browning them in a skillet!

[@raocarano]

I made this for my family, everyone loved it. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!

[@sanjursan]

I get delightfully nourished just listening to this wonderful lady.

[@donnadehardt5728]

Hi. I like many of your ideas & will use them. But Our family never used tomato sauce with cabbage rolls. Seems like everything else had tomato sauce but not our cabbage rolls. We used either lemon juice/water for the liquid or apple juice/water with additional chopped cabbage & sauerkraut layers. I like the idea to brown them! Thanks so much for your tips. They have upped my game. My favorite is your chicken thigh baking tip. I dont bother to fry it any more.

[@levanapaduch3699]

Thank You for this wonderful recipe! I'm going to make these for my husband for Valentines Day, he'll be in heaven!

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Danke fürs Hochladen! 👍 Thanks for uploading! 👍 Very good and beautiful, thank you! 👍 Sehr gut und schön, danke!

[@mddell58]

Thank you. Your recipe looks fantastic! I realize there are thousands of ways to make them, but, I have decided to make this recipe. Have a beautiful day. 👍 ✅ 😃

[@etherdog]

I think is is very useful the way you described the linear process and then the parallel process, Helen!

[@Destinyatk]

THIS WAS SOOOOO GOOD. I made it just like the recipe. I wish I could put pic on here. The sauce was delicious. Everyone in my family LOVED it, especially my hubby & 4 yr old granddaughter. I made cornbread to and that was the icing on the cake. This is my NEW stuffed cabbage from here on out. Thank you🥰🙂

[@omarqasirov8754]

I grew up eating halupki my grandma + mom made. Still haven't attempted making these myself, and I really need to try. Glad I found this channel!

[@tonymonastiere8510]

Thnx Helen, I still like to use my fave sauce. You have given me a few more ideas for these little guys. Please do a vid on sour and sweet versions of kraut. Nice job!!!

[@pattyadamcak8525]

My Czech father’s favorite meal. Truly a labor of love. When my mother was preparing it, my father would be coming into the kitchen all afternoon checking to see if it was done yet! We called them pigs in the blanket or piggies for short.

[@danielleshelbourne220]

Thank you so much for this recipe! My mother used to make delicious cabbage rolls when I was young but never gave me the recipe. Yours are very similar to hers and what I remember eating. Funnily we are Australians (for several generations) but cabbage rolls was a comfort food for us too. Now I can finally make them again and make them even better with your tips! 🙏

[@junielaine4211]

So happy to find your channel. It so similar to the way I was taught! Thank you for this video.

[@lindaloftus8780]

Love your videos. My mother didn't fix cabbage rolls the way you do, however your recipe sounds a lot better. Will definitely fix. Thank you for all the time you take to explain what to do in detail, it's very helpful.

[@byronmain9392]

Awesome recipe, your instructions are easy to follow. Thank you😊

[@lisawhite2512]

Love the idea of meatloaf mix. Your voice is so relaxing.

[@afedorczuk]

I am drooling!! Nothing better than well browned stuffed cabbage.

[@TheArcSet]

Thanks for this video, pre-cooking the cabbage, so it holds it's shape more easily, is a great tip I wouldn't have thought about.

[@truecynic1270]

Interesting tips!! I, of course, never knew! I grew up loving holubtsi and have been able to make them although I always think mine are bland - which is true!!! Thank you so much for YOUR video. Now that I've learned some tips from you, I'm excited to try to make Holubtsi again!!!! Hopefully they will actually taste better 😊❤ That last browning seems incredible - yum....yum..yum....

[@hexzerone7034]

You’ve voice is very soothing...thank you for all your knowledge

[@jeffreypattie7150]

Thank you for being so informative ,so creative & helpful..trying 1st time to create my grandmas, browning I'm gonna try looks& sounds delicious, as ur lovely accent does!!!

[@susanruzicka2555]

And once again Helen you have done the best version I've ever seen. And yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! I've never done the gelatin before or the browning and can't wait to try next time. Thank you ever so much for posting this video. 👏👍

[@xo2stepbabiiox]

This is my new favorite channel for recipe ideas! This is so clearly explained and well done, thanks so much 🥰

[@priayief]

It's almost one year since I made my last comment. I have a couple of large cabbages to harvest in my garden. My last year's batch of Golubski kept well in the freezer. They were delicious. Now I'm going to try the recipe again and have another year's supply. This year I'm going to pay special attention to properly preparing the gelatin as you advised. Wish me luck! Cheers.

[@windflower5010]

I’m going to modify the way I make my stuffed cabbage to incorporate some of the techniques you used. This really can go without being said, but this absolutely looks delicious! Thank you for your wonderful KZbin channel and FYI, you are an excellent teacher Helen.

[@nathalieheath5693]

I tried these and they are absolutely scrumptious!! Oh my!! Thank you soooo much for sharing the recipe! I added some minced habanero peppers in the mince mix, absolutely perfect!!👌🏽

[@steverundle8635]

At last! A stuffed cabbage recipe that actually SOUNDS good. I have failed several times, but this sounds like I can finally own the dish. Thanx a’million

[@Allbbrz]

Delicious ! Cabbage is so tasty, I never discard the cores: I snack on them, while sprinkling a little salt. Now, this recipe is great... [press button, save]. Thank you.

[@georgepagakis9854]

Amazing, And I thought my mom made good cabbage rolls but this is the next level!!!! thank you :)

[@rubycheeky]

Thank you!! I enjoyed this cooking video immensely!! You're a wonderful teacher and cook ☺️ I've subscribed and can't wait to see what other videos you have already posted!

[@janboyd227]

You are amazing!!! Best to you, Jan

[@ssees2022]

Looks like a dish worth mastering and becoming a signature for family and friends! Excellent! The gelatin was an interesting addition. 😋

[@chumpchanger1]

Excellent. Thank you. This looks the closest to what my grandmother made.

[@Radjehuty]

Good lord this looks fantastic. When I was first learning to make these all they did was stuff cabbage with rice and meat and put it in a pot of uncooked tomato juice. Sure it was faster but so much flatter in flavor. This is next level. I think I'm gonna try this with farro instead of white rice and use TVP meat and flax for that gelatin texture. Obviously not traditional by any stretch but this dish looks like it could easily be adapted to be so healthy and portable. Thanks!

[@josephcagle4184]

Thank you for explaining it very well, looks awesome! Nice job and love your channel.

[@DonTrell]

i love your process. definitely wanna try this recipe. Thanks Helen!🤤

[@MissHoneyOnline]

I have wanted to make cabbage rolls for so long. Now with a head of cabbage and fresh meat, I will make these today!

[@grassroot011]

Good process and instructions here, thanks .

[@jessezymet5346]

FYI: This recipe is one of my all-time favorites, so I made a large batch and froze some of it (rolls and sauce into one ziploc bag, air pressed out). When I defrosted and reheated per your method from the Browning and Serving section (though I added a bit of balsamic vinegar to sauce), I thought it came out great - at least I perceived no very obvious differences in flavor and texture relative to when I made it the night before, though admittedly it's been a month.

[@LunaRendezvous]

That looks absolutely delicious, I'll definitely give it a try!

[@susanward5187]

Very good, much prep, delicious

[@CatWhiskering]

The gelatine is a great tip; thanks.

[@saalihahkhan2156]

I made this last night following your recipe exactly! Except I didn't get the chance to brown the cabbage rolls with butter in the end. But still my family loved them! And everyone enjoyed it, they all said it was really good! So thank you soooo much for sharing your recipe and all your tips and tricks!

[@richardallen3810]

FANTASTIC. My Russian heritage is calling me to make this. I was raised on this but with golden raisins in the sauce and other slight differences. Still, I’m loving your pan frying them. Yummy, I can’t wait to make them.

[@helenrennie]

I sometimes add the raisins to the filling or the sauce too

[@user-dg7sy8cz3b]

Very fancy. I grew up with the peasant version. Boiled Sans tomatoes . Thanks for the inspiration! Btw Serbians use fermented cabbage New to me too.

[@SerenitynPeace]

This looks and sounds delicious! A new way to cook! Thank you. I love your channel, 🥰😘

[@d.o.c.7500]

Wow what a beautiful recipe

[@Сестричкинырассказы]

Очень нравится ваш канал, ваши рецепты и вы!

[@Epiphone1964]

That looks sooooo much better than the way I've been doing cabbage rolls! Def going to try this recipe!

[@mrsshebasheba]

I love the way you teach

[@lynnerodgers4461]

Delicious! My hubby loved his mother's cabbage rolls (she used Campbells Tomato Soup for her sauce.) 😯 I'm going to bet that yours is better. 😉 He passed in 2014. If this gets made, I'll be able to hear him say Granny made the best cabbage rolls." He would say that about her Chili mac, vegetable soup, and nut rolls during the holidays. Pretty much anything to be honest. She cooked for a family of 7 and then 2 more when they moved to VA from PA. Then she was a cook on the overnight shift at a 24 hr diner for many years. I recently retired so there is no reason not to get these made.

[@FreeYourBrains]

Hello Helen, I'm from Romania and this is our national dish, so I do have a few little tricks: 1. When you buy the cabbage look for the cabbage that is flatten out NOT ROUND, something like a round loaf of bread AND ALSO IMPORTANT is the cabbage to have a very thin stem, not a thick one, only then your cabbage will have nice big, thin leaves with thin ribs. 2. Extremely important: get the pork meat from a butcher that will be able to ground very fat meat like 40-45% fat, that will give those tender very tasty rolls. 3. Always make at least 30-40 rolls (we usually make 80 or more ) and do the following one thick layer of sauerkraut on the bottom than a layer of smoked fried bacon, one layer of rolls and repeat, 3,4,5 layers. on the very top put sauerkraut, bits of bacon and a tomato sauce. boil about 2 hours on the stove medium heat and try for tenderness. 4. MOST IMPORTANT : wait for the second day to eat them or even freeze them for a couple of days , they are always better later, I don't know why, but they are. 5. Of course serve them with polenta and sour cream (try Canadian style sour cream). Enjoy

[@simonalyneenderz3247]

Oh wow!! I like your recipe too!!!!! I can't wait to try yours, too!😉 Thank you!

[@maryanndinsfriend1993]

Your method is the first I've seen that's close to our family's. Grandma was from Budapest. Always make a bunch, mixture of ground beef and pork, layer bacon, and don't ever forget the sauerkraut. I'll definitely look for the flatter cabbage next time. Just made a batch of 30 rolls yesterday and they do always taste better the next day!

[@Destinyatk]

Why would you come onto someone else's channel and put up your recipe & tell them what to do & look for?? smh🙄

[@missoldskool]

@@Destinyatksome people are so rude. I was thinking the same thing like who cares go start your own cooking channel then dictate all you want

[@franniepie7106]

Definitely gonna use some of your excellent sounding tips. I have my traditional Polish recipe but came to Helen's channel to see if there were improvements I could make. Thanks for adding even more. Gonna be a big, great batch!

[@gregmccormack5709]

Dang! I swear I wasn't hungry a minute ago. This looks incredible....definately going to have to try this one.

[@bunnytoes7200]

Apologies, I saved it. Thank you again. Marvellously delicious recipe!

[@russell28533]

This all looks amazing.

[@joanwalford1959]

Yummy! Great recipe. Like the browning method.

[@annelm217]

Thanks, this looks wonderful - I like how you finished them for serving.

[@w11granny72]

Another delicious recipe. Thanks

[@Berkana]

I'm doing some recipe comparison of cabbage rolls, and I've looked at a lot of recipes. This one is the most impressive looking. I'll have to try this one!

[@jamesewanchook2276]

My Mom freezes the cabbage head! Getting so hungry watching this!

[@johndennis3181]

I have to make this dish but first I have to convert it to keto. look delicious thank you.

[@ritparent7239]

We are Americans of 100% Polish immigrants. When my grandmother baked her golabki, she lined the pan with cabbage leaves and these caramelized with the tomato based sauce. I would always ask for this cabbage as it was always my favorite part! Thank you for sharing this caramelization technique for the golabki themselves. Truly Slavic comfort food! SLAVA SLAVYANAM !!!

[@redhousepress]

I make these at least once or twice a year during the winter and I tuck in some sourkraut around the rolls while they are cooking.

[@winniebt600]

Yes sauerkraut, chop some up to put in meat filling, then kraut atop each layer w some tomatoe sauce. We used to make 2 batches, this as husband grew up with and my mom's bc we liked both.

[@brankobulovic167]

In northern Croatia, where I come from, and in the rest of Pannonian Valley, for sarma, we use leaves of whole fermented cabbage heads - only larger ones for rolling - a few small ones end up in (the same sarma) soup, but they mainly end up back in the barrel and chopped into kim-chi like salads

[@rewdymeyer]

I just love your videos. This looks so good. Thank you!

[@emiliamartucci8291]

I appreciate your thoroughness soooo much Thank you.