Mahshi Kromb
Egyptian vegetables or leaves filled loosely with rice, tomato and fresh herbs; broth choice is explicit.
Preparation: 35 min · Cooking: 1 hr 5 min · Total: 1 hr 40 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- medium cabbage — 1
- 1.5 cups dry Egyptian short-grain rice
- 360 ml pourable tomato sauce or passata, not concentrated paste
- onion, finely chopped — 1
- 240 ml mixed parsley, dill and coriander, combined volume
- 480 ml bone broth
- conditional additional boiling broth, matching the listed broth
- 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
- cabbage blanching water, discarded
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables and rice
Wash one medium cabbage and the herbs. Separate leaves and blanch in enough lightly salted boiling water to soften; start checking at 3 minutes. Drain and trim thick ribs into usable rectangles. Keep sound washed trimmings for the lining; discard spoiled leaves.
Keep sound washed trimmings for the lining; discard spoiled leaves.
Mix the measured filling
Mix 1.5 cup dry-measured drained rice with 360 ml pourable tomato sauce, the filling onion and 240 ml mixed herbs in total. Add the listed seasonings; do not puree the rice. One cup is 240 ml, not 240 g.
One cup is 240 ml, not 240 g.
Fill loosely and cook any surplus
Use filling amounts suited to each cabbage rectangle rather than a fixed teaspoon for every leaf. Roll securely but leave room for rice expansion. Do not compress rolls or force all the filling into one cabbage. Cook any excess filling immediately in a separate covered pan with additional boiling broth about 1 cm above the mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer gently; add small amounts of boiling broth if drying before the rice is fully tender. Serve alongside; do not leave raw filling waiting.
Serve alongside; do not leave raw filling waiting.
Arrange and add cooking liquid
Line the pot with sound washed cabbage trimmings and place rolls seam-down. Mix 1 tbsp tomato paste into 480 ml initial bone broth; add around the rolls. Top up with conditional boiling bone broth to just cover. Hold down only with a cooking-rated weight or heat-rated plate.
Hold down only with a cooking-rated weight or heat-rated plate.
Simmer and begin checking
Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and maintain a gentle simmer over low heat. Begin checking after 50 minutes. Watch liquid levels and add conditional boiling broth as needed, without compressing the food.
Watch liquid levels and add conditional boiling broth as needed, without compressing the food.
Check the stuffed rice: 3000 seconds
Check filling centres
Check rice in several thick central pieces: all grains must be fully tender without hard or chalky centres. The confirmed conservative target is 74°C in the filling, not a universal statutory vegetable temperature. Continue cooking if needed; soft shells alone are insufficient.
Continue cooking if needed; soft shells alone are insufficient.
Portion without crushing
Lift the fully cooked pieces gently with clean utensils. Remove any cooking weight before serving. Use equivalent pots for 8 portions rather than compressing food into a deeper pot; piece counts vary with vegetable size.
Use equivalent pots for 8 portions rather than compressing food into a deeper pot; piece counts vary with vegetable size.
Serve and chill rice promptly
Serve the fully cooked Mahshi with any separately cooked filling. Divide leftovers into shallow portions and refrigerate within one hour at ≤4°C. Use within 24 hours and reheat at most once to 74°C throughout; reheating cannot rescue improperly stored rice.
Use within 24 hours and reheat at most once to 74°C throughout; reheating cannot rescue improperly stored rice.
Tips
- Instruction quantities describe the original two-serving batch. Ingredient controls scale the list to one or eight servings. One cup is 240 ml; tablespoon 15 ml and teaspoon 5 ml. Volumes are not gram weights. Use equivalent vessels/batches when scaling.
Common mistakes
- Do not add inherited draft ingredients or treat appearance and fixed times as the only cooking checks.
Substitutions
- Use the listed ingredient states and alternatives. Check product directions and allergens; unlisted replacements may change handling and storage.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly within one hour in shallow portions at ≤4°C. Use within 24 hours from preparation, including setting/chilling. These are conservative household limits, not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat at most once to 74°C throughout. Reheating cannot rescue food that was stored improperly.
About this recipe
Egyptian vegetables or leaves filled loosely with rice, tomato and fresh herbs; broth choice is explicit.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.