How to Make Kaalikääryleet
Finnish cabbage, called 'Kaalikääryleet' in Finnish, is a very traditional Finnish dish. This homemade recipe serves six people, but you can easily double the recipe and store the leftovers because the taste and texture actually improves after cooling and reheating. For a truly traditional Finnish meal, serve these Finnish Cabbage Rolls as a main course with boiled potatoes and lingonberry sauce or jam. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1 head of cabbage
- 1 tsp salt
- Lingonberries
- Filling:
- 2 lbs of ground pork or beef
- 1 onion
- 1/2 C cabbage broth (from boiled cabbage)
- 1 C chopped cabbage
- 1 C boiled barley
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp margarine or butter
- 2 tbsp syrup
- butter or margarine
- Cabbage broth (from boiled cabbage water for for basting)
- Gravy:
- 1 1/2 C pan juice
- 2 tbsp flour
- cream (add a little at a time until it’s the right consistency)
Instructions
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Prepare the Cabbage
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1
Cut the cabbage head into two large halves and boil in salted water. Boil until leaves are soft and pliable. Taste an inner leaf to be sure that the texture in right.
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2
Carefully remove the cabbage from the water and set aside to cool.
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3
Cook the barley according to the directions on the package. Barley can take about 30 minutes to cook, so keep that in mind when you start cooking.
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4
Dice the onion and saute in one tablespoon of olive oil in a large fry pan until translucent.
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5
Loosen the leaves on the boiled cabbage head. The large leaves will be used as the roll shells, while the small inner leaves can be chopped for use in the filling.
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6
Add ground meat, rice, chopped cabbage and seasonings and cook until the meat has browned.
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7
Add some cabbage broth if the mixture is too thick.
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8
Flatten the large cabbage leaves and fill each one with a spoonful of the filling.
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9
Roll each leaf and tuck the edges so the filling is completely sealed inside the leaf.
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10
Place the rolls side by side in a baking dish and drizzle with syrup and drip a little fat over them.
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11
Bake the rolls for one hour at 375 °F. After 30 minutes, turn the rolls over and baste them with cabbage water.
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12
Remove the cabbage rolls and use the pan juices to make a gravy. Strain the pan juices and thicken with the flour. Add a little cream until the mixture has reached your preferred consistency.
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13
Serve the cabbage rolls with the gravy and lingonberries.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Freeze any leftovers.
Though traditionally served as a main course, cabbage rolls can also be used as an appetizer or side.
If this is your first time with this recipe, don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. You might mess up the first time.
Cabbage rolls aren’t a quick or simple recipe. The process is relatively long and involved and you must stay nearby in order to keep an eye on all the various steps.
You can substitute the barley for rice.
Avoid other sauces with these cabbage rolls, especially anything that is tomato-based.
