Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Holubtsi - stuffed cabbage rolls - are very popular in all regions of Ukraine. Naturally, the people in each region have their own unique way of cooking them and use slightly different ingredients. Some make holubtsi stuffed with millet, others with buckwheat, but in most versions nowadays, rice is used, even though it's not traditionally Ukrainian. The original recipe involves carefully separating a head of cabbage into leaves - you remove the core and slightly blanch the cabbage in boiling water to soften the leaves and make the process easier. The cabbage leaves are then stuffed with ground meat mixed with grains, and the stuffed parcels are simmered in sauce.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:42 The role of cabbage in Ukraine
03:35 Preparing the cabbage
04:17 The cooking process
05:40 The final dish
CREDITS
Report: Yevhen Klopotenko
Camera: Lev Kostenko Oleg Gienko
Edit: Kateryna Romashchenko
RECIPE
Ingredients
150 g round-grain rice
1 medium head of cabbage (about 1300 g)
500 g ground pork
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
100 g walnuts
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 bay leaves
2 allspice berries
2 black peppercorns
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups warm water
Sour cream for serving
Salt and pepper to taste
👨‍🍳 Step 1
Add 150 g of round-grain rice to a pot, pour in 300 ml of water, and cook until half done — about 10 minutes after boiling. If any water remains, drain it. Transfer the rice to a bowl.
👨‍🍳 Step 2
Peel a medium onion and dice it finely. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of sunflower oil and sauté the onion until golden.
👨‍🍳 Step 3
Crush 100 g of walnuts using a rolling pin, blender, or knife. Add them to the bowl with the rice along with the onion. Add 500 g of ground pork, season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
👨‍🍳 Step 4
Remove the core from the cabbage and separate the outer leaves. Place the whole cabbage in a large pot, cover with water, add a pinch of salt, and simmer on low heat, removing the leaves as they soften.
👨‍🍳 Step 5
Trim the thick bottom part from each cabbage leaf. Add about a tablespoon of filling and roll into cabbage rolls.
👨‍🍳 Step 6
Peel the carrot and grate it coarsely. Place the cabbage rolls in a heavy-bottomed pot in one layer, sprinkle with grated carrot. Add another layer of cabbage rolls and top again with carrot.
👨‍🍳 Step 7
Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with 2 cups of warm water. Pour over the cabbage rolls, add 3 bay leaves, 2 allspice berries, 2 black peppercorns, and a little salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes.
👨‍🍳 Step 8
Serve the finished cabbage rolls with sour cream or any sauce you like.
#dweuromaxx #ukraine #cabbagerolls
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DW Food brings you the perfect blend of culinary trends, easy DIY recipes, exciting food secrets & a look behind the scenes of Europe’s culinary culture.
Holubtsi - stuffed cabbage rolls - are very popular in all regions of Ukraine. Naturally, the people in each region have their own unique way of cooking them and use slightly different ingredients. Some make holubtsi stuffed with millet, others with buckwheat, but in most versions nowadays, rice is used, even though it's not traditionally Ukrainian. The original recipe involves carefully separating a head of cabbage into leaves - you remove the core and slightly blanch the cabbage in boiling water to soften the leaves and make the process easier. The cabbage leaves are then stuffed with ground meat mixed with grains, and the stuffed parcels are simmered in sauce.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:42 The role of cabbage in Ukraine
03:35 Preparing the cabbage
04:17 The cooking process
05:40 The final dish
CREDITS
Report: Yevhen Klopotenko
Camera: Lev Kostenko Oleg Gienko
Edit: Kateryna Romashchenko
RECIPE
Ingredients
150 g round-grain rice
1 medium head of cabbage (about 1300 g)
500 g ground pork
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
100 g walnuts
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 bay leaves
2 allspice berries
2 black peppercorns
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups warm water
Sour cream for serving
Salt and pepper to taste
👨‍🍳 Step 1
Add 150 g of round-grain rice to a pot, pour in 300 ml of water, and cook until half done — about 10 minutes after boiling. If any water remains, drain it. Transfer the rice to a bowl.
👨‍🍳 Step 2
Peel a medium onion and dice it finely. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of sunflower oil and sauté the onion until golden.
👨‍🍳 Step 3
Crush 100 g of walnuts using a rolling pin, blender, or knife. Add them to the bowl with the rice along with the onion. Add 500 g of ground pork, season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
👨‍🍳 Step 4
Remove the core from the cabbage and separate the outer leaves. Place the whole cabbage in a large pot, cover with water, add a pinch of salt, and simmer on low heat, removing the leaves as they soften.
👨‍🍳 Step 5
Trim the thick bottom part from each cabbage leaf. Add about a tablespoon of filling and roll into cabbage rolls.
👨‍🍳 Step 6
Peel the carrot and grate it coarsely. Place the cabbage rolls in a heavy-bottomed pot in one layer, sprinkle with grated carrot. Add another layer of cabbage rolls and top again with carrot.
👨‍🍳 Step 7
Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with 2 cups of warm water. Pour over the cabbage rolls, add 3 bay leaves, 2 allspice berries, 2 black peppercorns, and a little salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes.
👨‍🍳 Step 8
Serve the finished cabbage rolls with sour cream or any sauce you like.
#dweuromaxx #ukraine #cabbagerolls
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to DW Food:
bit.ly/DWFood_Sub
DW Food brings you the perfect blend of culinary trends, easy DIY recipes, exciting food secrets & a look behind the scenes of Europe’s culinary culture.
