[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":421},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:ukrainian-holubtsi":3,"recipe:country:ukraine":201},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":79,"mainIngredients":81,"ingredients":87,"instructions":143,"nutrition":180,"images":188,"keywords":192,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"ukrainian-holubtsi","Holubtsi (Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls in Tomato and Sour Cream)","Голубці","Holubtsi","ho-loob-TSEE","ukraine","🥬","Blanched cabbage leaves rolled around minced pork, rice and sweet fried carrot, then baked low in a tomato and sour cream sauce until the leaves go silky and the sauce turns dusty pink.","Holubtsi are cabbage rolls: leaves softened in boiling water, wrapped snugly around a filling of minced pork, part-cooked rice, grated carrot and fried onion, packed into a deep dish and baked slowly in a sauce that combines tomato with sour cream. The result is mild, savoury and slightly sweet, with the cabbage cooked long enough to lose all its raw sulphur bite and take on the flavour of the sauce. Nothing about it is quick — an hour of assembly, ninety minutes in the oven — but almost all of that is unattended, and the dish reheats better than it serves fresh. The name comes from the word for pigeons, apparently for the shape of the little bundles.","Stuffed cabbage runs in a broad band from Turkey through the Balkans and Hungary into Poland, Ukraine and Russia, and the family relationships are obvious: Ukrainian holubtsi, Polish gołąbki, Serbian and Balkan sarma, Hungarian töltött káposzta and Romanian sarmale all wrap a grain-and-meat filling in a leaf and cook it slowly in something acidic. The vine-leaf versions of the Ottoman world and the cabbage versions of the north are the same idea adapted to what grows. Ukraine sits at the point where the two traditions meet, which is why you find both fresh-cabbage and soured-cabbage holubtsi within the same country.\n\nThe Ukrainian split is roughly seasonal and regional. Through summer and autumn, fresh white cabbage is blanched and the rolls are baked in tomato with sour cream, which is the version below. In winter, and especially in the west, whole heads of cabbage soured in brine give a sharper, more assertive roll closer to Balkan sarma. There is also a serious meatless tradition: for Christmas Eve and the fasting calendar, holubtsi are filled with buckwheat, millet or rice with mushrooms and baked without dairy — on the Sviata Vecheria table they are one of the twelve dishes, and in many families they are the version people actually look forward to.\n\nHolubtsi are celebration food in the practical sense: they scale. A big roasting dish holds thirty rolls, they can be assembled the day before, and they genuinely taste better after a night in the fridge, which makes them a fixture at weddings, funerals, name days and any gathering where food must be produced in volume without last-minute cooking. Ukrainians in the diaspora, particularly in Canada, kept holubtsi alive as one of the anchor dishes of church-hall cooking, which is why the word turns up on menus in Winnipeg and Edmonton spelled a dozen different ways.",[15,16,17,18],"Rice goes in half-cooked, so it finishes in the oven absorbing meat juices instead of either staying crunchy or turning to paste.","The core is cut out before blanching, which is what lets whole leaves peel away undamaged instead of tearing at the base.","Sauce combines tomato for acidity and sour cream for body, added in the right order so the dairy never splits.","Covered low-and-slow baking, plus the honest note that these are better on day two — with reheating instructions that work.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Choose a loose, slightly flattened head of cabbage rather than a tight round one. Loose heads give bigger, more flexible leaves that peel off in one piece.","Shave down the thick central rib of each leaf with a knife held flat. An unshaved rib springs open in the dish and unrolls the whole parcel.","Do not overfill: about two tablespoons in a large leaf. The rice swells in the oven, and a stuffed-tight roll splits along the seam.","Pack the rolls seam-side down and tightly against each other. Rolls with room to move come undone; rolls under mild pressure hold their shape.","Line the bottom of the dish with the leftover torn cabbage leaves. They stop the bottom row scorching and they are the best part to eat afterwards.","Stir the sour cream into warm sauce off the heat, never into a boiling pan, or it will curdle into grains before it reaches the oven.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Minced pork","Half pork and half beef, or minced turkey with 2 extra tbsp oil","Pork alone gives the softest, richest filling. Lean meat on its own dries out over 90 minutes of baking, so add fat if you use it.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Fresh white cabbage","A whole soured cabbage head from a Balkan or Eastern European shop","The winter version. Rinse the leaves if they are very salty and cut the tomato back, since the cabbage brings its own sharp acidity.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Rice","Toasted buckwheat (grechka) or millet, cooked to the same half-done stage","Buckwheat is the traditional grain in many households and in the Lenten version — nuttier, darker, and it holds its shape better than rice.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Lenten holubtsi","Filled with buckwheat or rice cooked with onions and chopped mushrooms, baked in tomato and mushroom stock with no meat or dairy. A standard part of the twelve-dish Christmas Eve table.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Zakarpattia holubtsi with smoked pork","A western version made with soured cabbage and layers of smoked ribs or bacon between the rolls, producing a much heavier, smokier pot.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Lazy holubtsi (lynivi holubtsi)","Everything in the filling plus chopped cabbage, shaped into meatballs and baked in the same sauce — the same flavour with none of the rolling.",[50],"Extra cold sour cream, dark rye bread, and a plate of pickled cucumbers or tomatoes.","Holubtsi keep 4 days refrigerated in their sauce and genuinely improve after the first night, when the cabbage finishes absorbing the tomato. Reheat covered at 160°C for 25 minutes with a splash of water or stock added, or gently in a covered pan on the hob. They freeze well for 3 months, sauce and all; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, since going straight from frozen to a hot oven dries the exposed rolls before the centre is warm.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"How do I get cabbage leaves off the head without tearing them?","Cut a deep cone around the core with a paring knife and remove it, then lower the whole head into a big pot of boiling water. After two or three minutes the outer leaves loosen — lift them off one at a time with tongs and return the head to the water for the next layer. Trying to peel raw leaves off a cold head will tear almost every one.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why did my sour cream sauce curdle?","It was added to liquid that was too hot or too acidic while boiling. Take the tomato sauce off the heat, let it stop bubbling, then whisk a ladleful into the sour cream first to temper it before stirring the mixture back into the pan. Full-fat sour cream is far more stable than low-fat, which splits almost on contact with heat.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Should the rice be cooked before it goes in the filling?","Half-cooked is the right answer. Boil it for about seven minutes so it is still firm in the middle, then cool it. Raw rice may not fully soften in the time the rolls need and can leave hard grains; fully cooked rice keeps absorbing liquid in the oven and turns the filling pasty. Half-done rice finishes in the meat juices, which is where the flavour comes from.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"What is the difference between holubtsi and sarma?","They are regional relatives rather than different dishes. Holubtsi is the Ukrainian name and the everyday version uses fresh blanched cabbage with a tomato and sour cream sauce, while Balkan sarma is usually built on whole heads of cabbage soured in brine and cooked with smoked meat, giving a sharper, smokier result. Ukraine makes soured-cabbage versions too, especially in the west and in winter.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"Can I assemble holubtsi in advance?","Yes, and it is the sensible way to cook them for a crowd. Roll them and pack them into the baking dish up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate without the sauce, then pour over the warm sauce and bake when needed, adding about 15 minutes to the time to account for the cold start. Fully baked holubtsi also reheat better than most dishes.",[69,70,71,72],"Large pot for blanching the cabbage head","Deep ovenproof dish or Dutch oven","Tongs","Paring knife",6,55,100,"medium",[78],"main",[80],"nut-free",[82,83,84,85,86],"cabbage","ground-pork","rice","tomato","sour-cream",[88,93,98,101,105,108,112,116,118,122,125,130,133,136,138],{"ref":82,"qty":89,"unit":90,"name":91,"group":92},1,"piece","large white cabbage, about 1.5 kg","For the rolls",{"ref":83,"qty":94,"unit":95,"name":96,"group":97},600,"g","minced pork, not too lean","For the filling",{"ref":84,"qty":99,"unit":95,"name":100,"group":97},150,"short or medium-grain rice",{"ref":102,"qty":103,"unit":90,"name":104,"group":97},"onion",2,"onions, finely chopped",{"ref":106,"qty":103,"unit":90,"name":107,"group":97},"carrot","carrots, coarsely grated",{"qty":109,"unit":110,"name":111,"group":97},3,"tbsp","sunflower oil",{"ref":113,"qty":89,"unit":114,"name":115,"group":97},"black-pepper","tsp","freshly ground black pepper",{"qty":103,"unit":114,"name":117,"group":97},"fine salt",{"ref":119,"qty":109,"unit":110,"name":120,"group":121},"tomato-paste","tomato paste","For the sauce",{"ref":85,"qty":123,"unit":95,"name":124,"group":121},400,"tinned chopped tomatoes",{"ref":126,"qty":127,"unit":128,"name":129,"group":121},"stock",500,"ml","chicken or vegetable stock, hot",{"ref":86,"qty":131,"unit":95,"name":132,"group":121},250,"full-fat sour cream",{"ref":134,"qty":103,"unit":90,"name":135,"group":121},"bay-leaf","bay leaves",{"qty":89,"unit":114,"name":137,"group":121},"caster sugar",{"ref":139,"qty":140,"unit":110,"name":141,"group":142},"dill",4,"dill, chopped","To serve",[144,148,152,156,159,162,165,169,172,176],{"title":145,"text":146,"tip":147},"Loosen the cabbage leaves","Cut a deep cone around the cabbage core and pull it out. Lower the whole head into a large pot of boiling salted water and, every 2–3 minutes, lift off the leaves that have gone floppy and translucent at the edges, returning the head to the water for the next layer. You need about 18 usable leaves.","Keep the small, torn and heart leaves — they line the dish.",{"title":149,"text":150,"timerSeconds":151},"Part-cook the rice","Boil the rice in plenty of salted water for exactly 7 minutes, so the grains are soft outside and still chalky at the core. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and spread out to cool.",420,{"title":153,"text":154,"timerSeconds":155},"Fry the onion and carrot","Heat the sunflower oil and cook the chopped onions for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the grated carrot and continue for 8 minutes more, until the carrot has darkened, softened completely and smells sweet. Set aside two thirds for the filling and leave the rest in the pan.",480,{"title":157,"text":158},"Mix the filling","Combine the minced pork, cooled rice, the reserved fried onion and carrot, salt and black pepper, and work it together with your hands for a minute until it is properly homogeneous and slightly sticky. Fry a teaspoon of it in a pan and taste — it should be assertively seasoned.",{"title":160,"text":161},"Shave and fill the leaves","Lay a leaf flat and shave the thick central rib down level with a knife held parallel to the board. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling near the stem end, fold the sides in and roll up firmly into a fat cigar.",{"title":163,"text":164},"Pack the dish","Line the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish with the torn and leftover leaves. Pack the rolls in seam-side down in tight rows, nestled against each other so nothing can unroll, in two layers if needed.",{"title":166,"text":167,"tip":168},"Build the sauce","To the onion left in the pan add the tomato paste and fry for 1 minute until it darkens to brick red and smells roasted rather than raw. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and sugar, simmer 5 minutes, then take off the heat and let the bubbling stop.","Frying the tomato paste is a small step that removes the tinny flavour tinned tomato can leave.",{"title":170,"text":171},"Temper in the sour cream","Whisk a ladleful of the hot sauce into the sour cream in a bowl, then stir that mixture back into the pan. The sauce should turn an even dusty pink with no grainy flecks. Season with salt.",{"title":173,"text":174,"timerSeconds":175},"Bake covered","Pour the sauce over the rolls until they are just submerged, cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake at 160°C for 90 minutes. They are done when a knife slides through a roll with no resistance and the cabbage has turned soft and slightly translucent.",5400,{"title":177,"text":178,"timerSeconds":179},"Rest and serve","Let the dish stand uncovered for 15 minutes so the rolls firm up and the sauce thickens slightly — straight out of the oven they fall apart on the spoon. Serve two or three per person with plenty of sauce, dill scattered over and extra sour cream at the table.",900,{"calories":181,"protein":182,"carbs":183,"fat":184,"fiber":73,"sugar":185,"sodium":186,"estimated":187},490,26,34,27,11,830,true,[189],{"src":190,"alt":191},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fukrainian-holubtsi\u002Fhero.svg","Baked Ukrainian holubtsi cabbage rolls in a pink tomato and sour cream sauce, scattered with fresh dill",[193,194,195,196,197,198],"holubtsi","cabbage rolls","stuffed cabbage","ukrainian","minced pork","sour cream sauce","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":202,"total":209,"page":89,"limit":419,"hasMore":420},[203,230,253,260,285,313,336,358,378,401],{"slug":204,"title":205,"nativeName":206,"romanized":207,"countrySlug":9,"region":208,"baseServings":140,"prepMinutes":209,"cookMinutes":210,"difficulty":76,"course":211,"diet":213,"mainIngredients":215,"images":219,"keywords":223,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"banosh","Banosh (Hutsul Cornmeal Porridge with Brynza)","Бануш","Banosh","Carpathians",10,30,[78,212],"side",[214,80],"gluten-free",[216,86,217,218],"cornmeal","mushrooms","feta",[220],{"src":221,"alt":222},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbanosh\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of creamy Hutsul banosh cornmeal porridge topped with fried mushrooms, crumbled sheep cheese and cracklings",[204,224,225,226,227,228,229],"hutsul","carpathian","cornmeal porridge","brynza","sour cream","ukrainian mountain food",{"slug":231,"title":232,"nativeName":233,"romanized":234,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":140,"prepMinutes":235,"cookMinutes":236,"difficulty":237,"course":238,"diet":239,"mainIngredients":241,"images":244,"keywords":248,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"deruny","Deruny (Ukrainian Lacy Grated Potato Fritters)","Деруни","Deruny",20,25,"easy",[78,212],[240,80],"vegetarian",[242,102,243,86],"potato","eggs",[245],{"src":246,"alt":247},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fderuny\u002Fhero.svg","Stack of golden Ukrainian deruny potato fritters with lacy crisp edges and a spoonful of sour cream on top",[231,249,250,251,252,228],"potato fritters","grated potato","ukrainian pancakes","draniki",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":254,"diet":255,"mainIngredients":256,"images":257,"keywords":259,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},[78],[80],[82,83,84,85,86],[258],{"src":190,"alt":191},[193,194,195,196,197,198],{"slug":261,"title":262,"nativeName":263,"romanized":264,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":140,"prepMinutes":265,"cookMinutes":235,"restMinutes":266,"difficulty":267,"course":268,"diet":269,"mainIngredients":270,"images":275,"keywords":279,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"kotleta-po-kyivsky","Kotleta po-Kyivsky (Chicken Kyiv with Herb Garlic Butter)","Котлета по-київськи","Kotleta po-kyivsky",40,90,"hard",[78],[80],[271,272,273,139,274],"chicken","butter","garlic","breadcrumbs",[276],{"src":277,"alt":278},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkotleta-po-kyivsky\u002Fhero.svg","Golden breaded chicken Kyiv cut open with green herb garlic butter pouring out onto the plate",[280,281,282,283,196,284],"chicken kyiv","kotleta po-kyivsky","garlic butter chicken","breaded chicken","chicken kiev",{"slug":286,"title":287,"nativeName":288,"romanized":289,"countrySlug":9,"region":290,"baseServings":291,"prepMinutes":292,"cookMinutes":293,"restMinutes":294,"difficulty":267,"course":295,"diet":297,"mainIngredients":298,"images":302,"keywords":306,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"kyivskyi-tort","Kyivskyi Tort (Kyiv Hazelnut Meringue Cake)","Київський торт","Kyivskyi tort","Kyiv",12,60,130,1440,[296],"dessert",[240],[243,272,299,300,301],"cocoa","milk","flour",[303],{"src":304,"alt":305},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkyivskyi-tort\u002Fhero.svg","Slice of Kyiv cake showing two nutty meringue layers filled with pale buttercream and coated in cocoa cream",[307,308,309,310,311,312],"kyiv cake","kyivskyi tort","meringue cake","hazelnut meringue","buttercream","ukrainian dessert",{"slug":314,"title":315,"nativeName":316,"romanized":317,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":318,"prepMinutes":236,"cookMinutes":236,"restMinutes":319,"difficulty":237,"course":320,"diet":322,"mainIngredients":325,"images":327,"keywords":331,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"pampushky","Pampushky (Ukrainian Pull-Apart Garlic Rolls)","Пампушки","Pampushky",8,105,[321,212],"bread",[323,240,324,80],"vegan","dairy-free",[301,326,273,139],"yeast",[328],{"src":329,"alt":330},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpampushky\u002Fhero.svg","Tray of soft pull-apart pampushky rolls glossy with garlic oil and scattered with chopped dill",[314,332,333,334,335,139],"garlic rolls","ukrainian bread","borshch bread","pull-apart rolls",{"slug":337,"title":338,"nativeName":339,"romanized":340,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":291,"prepMinutes":236,"cookMinutes":341,"restMinutes":342,"difficulty":237,"course":343,"diet":346,"mainIngredients":347,"images":348,"keywords":352,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"salo","Salo (Ukrainian Cured Pork Fat with Garlic)","Сало","Salo",0,5760,[344,345],"snack","appetizer",[324,80],[273,113,134],[349],{"src":350,"alt":351},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsalo\u002Fhero.svg","Thin translucent slices of cured salo pork fat on dark rye bread with raw garlic and pickled cucumber",[337,353,354,355,356,357],"cured pork fat","ukrainian snack","salt cure","rye bread","zakusky",{"slug":359,"title":360,"nativeName":361,"romanized":362,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":140,"prepMinutes":363,"cookMinutes":235,"restMinutes":210,"difficulty":237,"course":364,"diet":366,"mainIngredients":367,"images":369,"keywords":373,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"ukrainian-syrnyky","Syrnyky (Ukrainian Curd Cheese Breakfast Patties)","Сирники","Syrnyky",15,[365,296],"breakfast",[240,80],[368,243,301,272,86],"quark",[370],{"src":371,"alt":372},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fukrainian-syrnyky\u002Fhero.svg","Golden fried syrnyky curd cheese patties stacked on a plate with sour cream and honey running down the side",[374,375,376,368,377,228],"syrnyky","curd cheese pancakes","ukrainian breakfast","tvorog",{"slug":379,"title":380,"nativeName":381,"romanized":382,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":383,"cookMinutes":99,"difficulty":76,"course":384,"diet":386,"mainIngredients":387,"images":390,"keywords":394,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"ukrainian-borscht","Ukrainian Borshch (Beetroot, Cabbage and Bean Soup)","Борщ","Borshch",35,[385,78],"soup",[],[388,82,389,242,86],"beetroot","beef-shank",[391],{"src":392,"alt":393},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fukrainian-borscht\u002Fhero.svg","Deep red Ukrainian borshch in a bowl with shredded beef, cabbage and beans, topped with sour cream and dill",[395,396,397,398,82,399,400],"borshch","borscht","beetroot soup","ukrainian soup","smetana","unesco",{"slug":402,"title":403,"nativeName":404,"romanized":405,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":140,"prepMinutes":292,"cookMinutes":383,"restMinutes":210,"difficulty":76,"course":406,"diet":407,"mainIngredients":408,"images":409,"keywords":413,"publishedAt":199,"updatedAt":199,"authorSlug":200},"ukrainian-varenyky","Varenyky (Ukrainian Potato and Curd Cheese Dumplings)","Вареники","Varenyky",[78],[240,80],[301,242,368,102,86],[410],{"src":411,"alt":412},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fukrainian-varenyky\u002Fhero.svg","Plate of half-moon varenyky topped with golden fried onions, dill and a spoonful of sour cream",[414,415,416,417,418,228],"varenyky","ukrainian dumplings","potato dumplings","curd cheese","boiled dumplings",24,false,1787360039181]