Racheli says that the late Tommy Lapid wrote in his book “Paprikash” that whoever has yet to taste this dish has yet to taste the delicacy of kings. “This is the jewel in the crown of Transylvanian cabbage dishes.” And we have no choice but to echo his justified statement.
Ingredients for Kolozsvari Rakott Kaposzta
For the meat layer:
- 4-5 teaspoons oil
- 1.1 lbs (500 grams) ground chicken
- 7 oz (200 grams) ground beef
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
For the rice and cabbage:
- 1 cup (200 grams) Persian rice
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cans sauerkraut
For the velouté sauce:
- 2.8 oz (2.8 oz) margarine or butter
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups chicken stock or water (or water with a teaspoon of soup powder)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 eggs large
For assembling:
- 1¼ tablespoons (20 grams) margarine or butter cut into small cubes
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
Instructions
Prepare the meat layer:
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1. Heat oil in a wide pot and fry chicken and beef until they change color. While frying, stir with a wooden spoon and break the chunks of meat into crumbs. Season with paprika, salt and garlic and fry for another 2 minutes while stirring. Cool.
Prepare the rice layer:
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2. Rinse the rice well in water until it runs clear. Transfer to a pot, add 2 cups of water and salt, cover and cook for 20 minutes on the lowest heat setting. Cool.
Prepare the sauerkraut:
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3. Place sauerkraut in a strainer and squeeze well (press the cabbage against the sides of the strainer). Transfer to a bowl. If you don't like the sourness of the cabbage, you can wash it, but it is not recommended; Rachel claims that the sourness adds a lot of flavor to the pastry.
Prepare the velouté sauce:
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4. Melt margarine or butter in a medium saucepan and add flour. Fry together for 3 minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon so that the flour does not burn. Add broth or water, salt, black pepper and paprika and continue to cook together for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat, cool for a few minutes and add eggs. Mix quickly until the eggs are completely incorporated.
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5. Heat the oven to 350F (175C) degrees.
Assemble and bake:
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6. Spread half of the amount of cabbage in an even layer in the Pyrex dish. Sprinkle half of the meat on top of it, half of the rice on top of it and pour half of the velouté sauce on top in an even layer. Add another layer in the same way, making sure that the top layer of sauce covers the rice completely so that it doesn't dry out in the oven. Sprinkle cubes of margarine or butter over the sauce, sprinkle with paprika and bake uncovered for at least an hour, until the top is golden and beautiful.
Kolozsvari Rakott Kaposzta - Meat Pie. Photography: Daniel Lailah.
Notes and upgrades
- You can make the recipe with only ground chicken without beef.
- Gluten free? Swap out the flour for any all-purpose gluten free mix.
- Vegetarian? Skip the meat layer. It turned out delicious even without it. Not the original recipe but still great.