This dish of Israeli Holishkes (stuffed cabbage,) is, in many ways, Israel on a plate. It combines Sephardic flavors from the shawarma seasoning and tahini with a classic Ashkenazi dish – holishkes – in a fully integrated, updated, and contemporary way. Indeed, Jerusalem mixed grill is itself a quintessentially Israeli dish and a recent one. It was created in the shadow of Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market no earlier than the late 1960s.
But it’s the flavors, not the backstory, that make the dish. Specifically, it’s the combination of the sweet, evocative warming flavors from the cardamom and the creaminess and bitter notes of the tahini (both Sephardic) on the one hand, with the savory chicken and chicken parts inside the classic Ashkenazi take on stuffed cabbage. For those who may not be partial to the idea of offal, the shawarma seasoning makes this dish a great way to start down that path.
This recipe is adapted and reprinted with permission from Modern Kosher: Global Flavors, New Traditions by Michael Gardiner.
Michael Gardiner’s most recent cookbook is Cali-Baja Cuisine: From Tijuana Tacos, Ensenada Agualchiles, San Diego Cali-Baja Burritos, + More. (September 2023)
Rizzoli USA, Publisher
Metric conversions by The Cook’s Cook
Ingredients
For the Amba (Pickled Mango) Sauce (makes about 237 ml/1 cup):
- •1 ripe mango and 1 unripe mango (about 1½ pounds total)
- •2 large lemons
- •22 ml (1½ tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
- •2 cloves garlic, minced
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) yellow mustard seeds
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) fenugreek seeds
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) Aleppo pepper
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) Spanish smoked paprika (aka pimenton)
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) ground turmeric
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) ground cumin
For the Holishkes:
- •Salt
- •1 large head green cabbage
- •About 118 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
For the Poultry Shawarma Spice Blend (makes about 355 ml/1 1/2 cups):
- •118 ml (½ cup) ground turmeric
- •118 ml (½ cup) ground cumin
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) freshly ground black pepper
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) freshly ground white pepper
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) ground cardamom
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground coriander
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) salt
For the Jerusalem Mixed Grill Filling:
- •113 grams (¼ pound) ground chicken breast
- •113 grams (¼ pound) ground chicken heart
- •113 grams (¼ pound) chicken livers, finely chopped
- •118 ml (½ cup) cooked and cooled rice (preferably jasmine)
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) Poultry Shawarma Spice Blend
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
For the Tomato-Tahini Sauce:
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
- •118 ml (½ cup) tomato paste
- •1 clove garlic, minced
- •Salt
- •1 pinch nutritional yeast (optional; for additional savory character)
- •118 ml (½ cup) tahini paste
- •Juice of 1 lemon
Note: ask your butcher to grind the chicken hearts for you or do it yourself if you have a meat grinder (or the appropriate attachment for a standing mixer). You can also achieve excellent results mincing with a sharp chef’s knife.
Amba is Urdu (the Persian version of Hindi) for mango and the sauce is Israel’s unique take on the classic Indian theme of mango chutney. This Israeli version of the sauce is sour, sweet, salty, and rich with a more garlic forward flavor profile.
Israeli chefs pair amba with just about anything, especially (if not exclusively) if it goes in pita. For my version I use one ripe mango and one unripe mango. The ripe mango contributes sweetness and the unripe mango offers a tangy zing.
You may also find Shawarma Seasoning and Amba Sauce ready-made in Middle Eastern markets.
Preparation
For the Amba Sauce: Peel the mangos, cut the flesh of the fruit from the pit, and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Zest the lemons with a grater, reserving the fruit, and add the zest to the food processor. Pulse several times to combine, then increase the speed and process to purée, about 20 seconds.
Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika, turmeric, and cumin and cook until the garlic is lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the puréed mango to the pan and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt or lemon juice, as desired. Let the sauce cool, then cover, transfer to the refrigerator, and store, for up to 1 week.
For the holishkes: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, remove and reserve any large, damaged outer leaves from the cabbage head (you’ll use them later in the recipe). Cut out the core of the cabbage with a sharp knife and carefully pull off the rest of the leaves, keeping them whole and as undamaged as possible.
Blanch the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 5 minutes, or until pliable. Run the leaves under cold water to cool them. Carefully cut out the hard center vein of the cabbage leaves so they will be easier to roll up. Take the reserved big outer leaves and lay them on the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish, letting part of the leaves hang out the sides of the pan. This insulation will prevent the cabbage rolls from burning on the bottom when baked.
Set aside 16 of the best-looking leaves to make the cabbage rolls. Not all of the leaves will be used: just the prettiest ones. Reserve the remainder of the cabbage for a different use (for example: cabbage soup, a stir-fry or lo mein dish, or a slaw).
For the Poultry Shawarma Spice: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.
7. To make the mixed grill filling: Preheat the oven to 177°C (350°F). Combine the ground chicken breast, ground chicken hearts, chopped chicken liver, cooked rice, shawarma spice blend, and olive oil in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Place 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of the filling mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf, fold the sides over the filling, and then roll them up. Transfer the rolls, seam-side down, to bottom of a 23×33 cm (9 × 13-inch) glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour enough of the chicken stock around the baking dish to just cover the bottom. Cook the rolls until the filling is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
To make the tomato-tahini sauce: While the rolls are in the oven, heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan, add the tomato paste, and fry it just long enough to draw the raw flavor out, about 15 seconds. Add the garlic and a pinch of kosher salt to the bowl of a food processor through the feed tube and process to mince the garlic. Add the nutritional yeast (if using), tahini, tomato paste, and lemon juice to the bowl and process to combine. With the food processor running, add about 237 ml (1 cup) water through the feed tube in a steady stream to form a smooth, creamy sauce approximately the thickness of heavy cream; you may not need all the water. Taste the sauce and adjust the balance of water, salt, and lemon juice as necessary. Turn the tahini sauce out into a bowl.
To serve: Using a spatula or palate knife, spread a stripe of the tomato-tahini sauce across each plate. Top the stripe with two holishkes. Garnish with a dollop of the amba sauce in between the two holishkes.
