Ukrainian Vegetarian Holubtsi with Buckwheat and Mushrooms – Recipe #1
Ukrainian cabbage rolls with buckwheat and mushrooms is a delicious variation of the classic Ukrainian dish. This recipe features blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of buckwheat, mushrooms, onions, and garlic, seasoned with herbs and spices. The cabbage rolls are then baked in a tomato sauce until tender and served hot with a mushroom sauce on top.
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
- 300 g buckwheat1 roasted
- 400 g mushrooms white,brown, or portobello
- 1 tbsp flaxseed oil
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
- 1 head of onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 carrot medium size
- Pinch of black pepper
- Spices: balsamic basil, fresh dill, coriander or parsley
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Put buckwheat in boiling water, reduce the heat to medium, add ½ teaspoon of salt,and boil for 8 minutes. Strain the buckwheat and add 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil, mix well so the grains don’t stick together.
- Chop mushrooms, onion, garlic, dill, and coriander or parsley. Grate the carrots.
- Preheat the frying pan, reduce to medium, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes, add carrots and mix well, and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
- On a second preheated frying pan, reduce the heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and add chopped mushrooms, sauté for 5 minutes. Add the buckwheat and mix well.
- Add the mushrooms and buckwheat to the onion and carrots on the first pan, sprinkle with black pepper and spices, mix well, and let it stir for 2-3 minutes. Add salt to taste.2
- Once the filling is ready, stuff the cabbage leaves.
- Roll them, and put them in a pot covered with leaves.
- Cover 2/3 of the cabbage rolls with the hot cabbage broth mixed with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Add 2-3 bay leaves and put the sauce with sour cream and mushrooms on top (see our sauce recipe # 2), and cover with spare cabbage leaves.
- Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the cabbage rolls for 1 –1.5 hours. Serve warm with the mushroom sauce # 2.
Notes
Tip 1: If you use the buckwheat imported from Ukraine, no need to roast it. Just wash in cold water and remove the husks. The buckwheat grown and sold in Canada needs some roasting for better taste.
Tip 2: Preparation of the filling should take 10 minutes at maximum, and if the mushrooms are fresh and firm, they won’t release water and will fry quickly.