Mahshi Cromb
Cabbage leaves rolled thin around a herb-heavy rice filling with no meat in it, packed flat and cooked in tomato. Rolled much smaller than the Levantine version — a finger thick.
Photograph credit: Stuffed cabbage by moonlightbulb · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
Making Mahshi Cromb Ahead
Refrigerated for 4 days and good cold. They freeze cooked for 3 months.
How to Make Mahshi Cromb
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Core the cabbage, lower the head into boiling water and peel off leaves as they soften, about 30 seconds each. Pare the thick ribs flat.
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Mix all the filling ingredients together. The rice stays raw.
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Cut the leaves into strips about 8 cm wide. Lay a thin line of filling along one edge and roll into a cigar no thicker than a finger.
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Line a wide heavy pot with torn outer leaves.
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Pack the rolls in tight flat layers, seam-side down, rather than standing them up.
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Whisk the tomatoes, garlic, lemon, salt and water and pour over. Weigh down with a plate.
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Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently 60 minutes, until the rice is tender. Rest 15 minutes off the heat before serving.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.
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Worth Knowing
- Roll them finger-thin. That is what makes them Egyptian.
- More herbs than looks sensible — they cook down to nothing.
- Pack them flat in layers, not standing.
Why the Method Is What It Is
Egyptian mahshi is rolled far thinner than its Levantine equivalent — a finger thick, not a thumb — and that changes the eating entirely: more leaf to filling, and a texture that stays distinct rather than turning into a rice parcel. It takes longer to roll and is worth it. The dill and coriander go into the raw filling in quantities that look excessive, because an hour of steaming under a lid flattens fresh herbs considerably.
What to Put Next to It
Egyptian tahina · Torshi · Lemon wedges
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Eish Merahrah.
Ingredient Swaps
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Quick Answers
How long does Mahshi Cromb take to make?
55 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 5 minutes of cooking, plus 15 minutes of resting, so allow 2 hours 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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