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Holubtsi z Hrechkoyu (Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Buckwheat and Mushrooms)

Name: Holubtsi z Hrechkoyu (Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Buckwheat and Mushrooms)
Prep time: 3 h 25 min
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: white cabbage — 100 g; kasha — 300 g; water — 600 g; dried porcini — 40 g; cremini mushrooms — 300 g; onions — 220 g; sunflower oil — 54 g; carrots — 120 g; tinned tomatoes — 400 g; bay leaf — 1 g; ground black pepper — 5 g; salt — 10 g; dill — 20 g

Holubtsi z Hrechkoyu (Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Buckwheat and Mushrooms) reads umami 4.9, earthy 4.3 and sweetness 3.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ukrainian main, about 3 hr 25 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 4.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 3.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 4.9 · Earthy 4.3 · Sweetness 3.7 · Salinity 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.2 · Allium 3.2 · Richness 3.1 · Sourness 2.6 · Nutty 2.1 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Bitterness 1.3 · Fruity 1.2 · Heat 0.9 · Floral 0.9

What's in it (13)

white cabbage — 100 g
kasha — 300 g
water — 600 g
dried porcini — 40 g
cremini mushrooms — 300 g
onions — 220 g
sunflower oil — 54 g
carrots — 120 g
tinned tomatoes — 400 g
bay leaf — 1 g
ground black pepper — 5 g
salt — 10 g
dill — 20 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 25 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 25.3 kcal, 1.2 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 5.2 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

Soak the dried porcini in 300 ml warm water for 30 minutes, then lift them out, chop, and keep the soaking liquor, leaving the grit behind.
Cut the core out of the cabbage and lower the whole head into a big pot of boiling water. As the outer leaves soften, about 10 minutes in total, peel them off one at a time with tongs. Shave the thick central rib of each leaf flat with a knife so it will roll.
Toast the buckwheat in a dry pan for 2 minutes until it smells nutty, then add the water and a pinch of the salt, cover and simmer 12 minutes. Take off the heat and leave it covered 10 minutes to finish on its own steam.
Fry the onions in 3 tbsp of the sunflower oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until golden.
Add the fresh mushrooms and the chopped porcini and fry 8 minutes more, until the water they throw off has gone and they start to catch.
Combine the buckwheat, the mushroom mixture, the pepper and most of the salt. Taste it; it should already be good enough to eat with a spoon.
Put 2 tbsp of filling at the stem end of each leaf, fold the sides in and roll up tightly. You should get 18 to 20.
In the empty pan, cook the grated carrot in the last tbsp of oil for 6 minutes, add the tomatoes, bay and the reserved mushroom liquor and simmer 10 minutes.
Line a heavy casserole with the torn spare cabbage leaves, pack the rolls in seam down in two layers, pour the sauce over and add water if they are not nearly covered.
Cover and bake at 160 C for 1 hour 30 minutes. Scatter with dill. Because there is no meat, these are the version made for Christmas Eve and through Lent, and they keep and reheat better than the meat ones.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Caprese-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms — Italian
New Potato, Chickpea and Tomato Stew — Spanish
Fabio'S Chickpea Soup — Middle Eastern
Githeri (Maize and Bean Stew) — Kenyan
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna — Italian

Keep reading: what umami, earthy, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.