Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Spiced Rice

Prep Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim cabbage core and submerge whole 4 minutes until outer leaves soften. Lift, cool under cold water, and peel off 5 large leaves; trim thick veins flat. Finely dice 1 onion for the filling and slice the second onion into rings for frying. Mince 3 garlic cloves for the filling and 2 for the broth. Crack dried lime, tap out seeds, and pierce twice. Crumble saffron into 2 tbsp hot stock and rest 5 minutes. Dice tomato. Pick parsley leaves. Cut lemon into wedges.

Build 1 Combine machboos spice in a bowl: cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, sweet paprika, black pepper, and 0.5 tsp salt. Rinse rice under cold water until clear.

Build 2 Knead lamb with diced onion, filling garlic, rice, half the machboos spice, and 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl for 90 seconds until tacky and uniform.

Sear Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high 60 seconds. Add sliced onion and fry 6 minutes turning often, until deep mahogany and crisp. Drain on paper towels and salt lightly.

Build 3 Lay a cabbage leaf flat. Spoon a fifth of the lamb-rice mix near the stem end, fold sides over the filling, and roll tight into a snug parcel. Repeat with remaining 4 leaves.

Simmer Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy lidded pot over medium 60 seconds. Add broth garlic, tomato, tomato paste, remaining machboos spice, dried lime, bay leaf, and 0.5 tsp salt 90 seconds. Pour in saffron stock and remaining chicken stock. Nest cabbage rolls seam-side down in the broth. Cover and simmer over lowest heat 25 minutes until lamb is cooked through and rice is tender.

Plate Lift cabbage rolls to a shallow bowl and ladle broth around them. Scatter crispy fried onions generously across the top, finish with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.