Balandeliai

April 20, 2026

Recipe

For the cabbage rolls

• 1 large head of cabbage
• ~600g ground pork
• 1 packet (125g) of rice (any kind)
• 1 raw egg
• 1 large onion
• A few generous pinches of salt
• A few generous pinches of black pepper

For frying the cabbage rolls

• Flour (for coating)
• Oil (preferably neutral-flavored, e.g. sunflower)

For the sauce

• 1 large carrot
• 1–2 tomatoes
• 1–2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 1–2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• Flour for thickening the sauce
• 1 chicken broth cube

Preparation

Filling preparation

1. Finely chop the onion

   Chopped onion

2. Cook and cool the rice

   Cooked rice

3. Place the ground meat, chopped onion, and rice into one bowl

   Ground pork

   Ground pork, onions and rice in one bowl

4. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the mixture

5. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper

6. When tasted, the mixture should have a light saltiness

Leaf preparation

1. Cut out the stem of the cabbage head (removing the stem makes it easier to separate the leaves later)

   Cabbage with the stem cut out

2. Bring water to a boil and add a teaspoon of salt

3. Place the cabbage in the pot with the cut side facing down

4. During cooking, remove leaves one by one as they become tender (they sometimes float up):

   • Old cabbage cooks for about 1 hour
   • Fresh cabbage cooks for about 30 minutes

   Removed cabbage leaves

   Note: if a leaf is white, it is not yet cooked

   Note: do not discard the cabbage cooking water (broth), as it will be needed later to pour over the fried cabbage rolls for braising

5. If the stem part of a separated leaf is thick, it will need to be thinned by lightly cutting the thick portion

   Thinning a cooked cabbage leaf

6. Then lightly pound the cut area with a meat mallet

   Pounding the cut area of a cooked cabbage leaf with a meat mallet

   Note: fresh cabbage leaves usually don't need to have the thick part cut, as they are naturally thin. Just lightly pound with a meat mallet

Rolling the cabbage rolls and placing them in the pot

1. Take one cabbage leaf and place it so the natural curve faces upward

2. Add the filling and fold the sides in first, then roll away from you

   First add the filling

   Then fold in the sides

   Roll away from you

   Finish rolling the cabbage roll

3. Place carrots and tomatoes at the bottom of the pot in layers. The layering order is: carrots and tomatoes, then fried cabbage rolls, then carrots and tomatoes, cabbage rolls, and so on.

   Place carrots and tomatoes at the bottom of the pot

4. Coat the cabbage rolls in flour, then place them in the pan. Place each roll seam-side down into the oil

   Place carrots and tomatoes at the bottom of the pot

5. Fry the cabbage rolls on both sides

   Fry the cabbage rolls on both sides

6. Layer the fried cabbage rolls into the pot

   To repeat: carrots and tomatoes, then fried cabbage rolls, then carrots and tomatoes, cabbage rolls, and so on.

   Note: when placing the fried cabbage rolls in the pot, start with the largest ones. The largest go on the bottom, then progressively smaller ones on top.

   After adding carrots and tomatoes, add the cabbage rolls

   Then add another layer of cabbage rolls

7. Add the crumbled broth cube

   Add the crumbled broth cube

8. Pour the cabbage cooking water over the rolls. The top rolls should be sticking out — they will sink during cooking

   Cabbage cooking water poured over

Cooking

Old cabbage rolls need to cook for about 30 min Fresh cabbage rolls need to cook for about 20 min

Sauce

1. Once the cabbage rolls are done cooking, the sauce is made in the same pot

2. Take 2–3 tablespoons of flour into a separate bowl or glass

   Take a separate bowl

   Add 2–3 tablespoons of flour

3. Add cold water

   Add cold water

4. Stir until there are no lumps

   Stir until there are no lumps

5. Add the tomato sauce, sour cream, and dissolved flour mixture to the cabbage roll pot

   Add tomato sauce

   Add sour cream

   Add the dissolved flour

The cabbage rolls are ready! Enjoy!