Hi there! So it's been Eons since I last wrote a blog post. I was toast! Literally, the year end parties, the job, the kids and the travels and not to mention the food comas. It's actually kinda relieving to be on this side of the holidays—with normal eating schedules and normal cuddle times with wifey and the monkey! And since we ARE talking about the new year let's just spend a brief moment on those things we call—drum roll—'resolutionsss!'

Yeah those promises that I make to myself every first week of the new year and then I just fuhhhgeddaboutit. But that first week sometimes becomes a month, and it's nice ya know, for the body to get a breather from the constant crazed eating I do all year as a food blogger and as a full-time food day dreamer.

So this recipe fits-ish in the healthy zone... because...Cabbage! (so totally a healthy vegetable jackpot) and then we go add some life into it (he he he) with some Indian spiced Lamb.

I say the resolution dream is alive and well!

The process is pretty simple. Peel away the layers (sheets/leaves/peel?) of the cabbage, blanch them, stuff with Lamb mix, wrap and pan fry. I used some warm fragrant Indian spices (Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger Garlic, Garam Masala etc) for the Lamb mix that compliments the richness of the Lamb and elevates it to an even more luxurious level.

To elevate the textures and taste even more, I lightly pan fried the stuffed rolls, and they get this really nice caramelization and a bit of sweetness on the outside and rich and velvetty on the inside! Really good combo guys! Really gooood. And then, we top it off with a zesty and refreshing Greek yogurt and cilantro chutney for dips!

Tip: Make the stuffing first, and put a big pot of water to boil simultaneously to save time

The ingredients: Lamb, Cabbage, Cinnamon, Ginger, Garlic, Fennel seeds, Cumin, Cardamom, Corriander and Garam Masala)

Lamb stuffing for the Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Beautiful crunch and color outside, rich velvetty inside.

Order up! These stuffed Cabbage rolls look just right.

Beautiful hands (thank you wife) and finger food!

Pan Fried Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Spiced Lamb

Makes 8-10 rolls

Ingredients (Stuffing)
One large head of Cabbage
1 1/4 lbs ground Lamb
1 egg
3 inch piece Ginger (peeled and grated. You could use store bought ginger paste but fresh is better)
4-6 cloves Garlic (peeled and grated)
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tbsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Chili flakes (more for spicier rolls)
5-6 Cardamom pods
1 onion (peeled, grated and squeezed to remove as much juice as possible)
1/2 cup fresh Cilantro (chopped fine)
1/4 cup chick pea flour (optional)
Salt
1 tbsp Oil to fry
Large pot of water for steaming/blanching
Twine to tie the rolls

Ingredients (Yogurt Cilantro Chuntey)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cup Cilantro (washed)
1 in Ginger (peeled)
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
1/2 tbsp Salt
Juice of 1 Lime

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil on medium heat.

2. In a big bowl, toss in the Lamb, the spices and the all the other ingredients (including the egg) and mix really well for 2 minutes (with your hands preferably) to make sure you have a really smooth stuffing mix.

3. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. In the mean time, chop off the stem of the cabbage and peel and discard the top 2 layers (if dirty). Then carefully extract as many large sheets of Cabbage as you can, making sure not to snap or break them.

4. Blanch each leaf for 2 to 3 minutes, making it pliable and easier to work with, and also half-cooked. Repeat for all sheets/leaves (gosh, what are they really called?!) and set them aside.

5. Slice off the tough spine that runs almost half way into the leaf, making a V-shaped cut and the base. Add a handful of stuffing, starting at the top of the leaf and rolling once. Then fold in the sides inwards and roll it out all the way. Tie with a piece of twine on both ends. Repeat till mix runs out for all other rolls.

6. Bring a medium pan up on low heat. Add 1 tbsp oil when the pan is hot. Place the rolls in carefully and let them caramelize for 3 minutes per side for a total of 12 minutes or so making sure the lamb gets cooked through all the way. Repeat the process.

7. Quick yogurt cilantro chutney: add all the chutney ingredients in a food processor, blender, Vitamix, Fruit Ninja or even a coffee grinder which I used and puree. Chutney is done!

Remove the rolls from the pan, and cut the twine. Dip them generously in the Chutney and you're done!