Stuffed Vine Leaves - Turkish Dolma
Pickled grape, rice and pine nuts come together in this meze, fragrant with allspice and cinnamon and simmered on the stove.
2 hr 30 min · Serves 40 · Medium
Ingredients
Method
Start cooking mode- Prep 90 min · Cook 60 min · 150 min total
- medium
- 1
Dice the onions and sauté with 1/4 cup of olive oil. When they turn translucent, add the pine nuts and sauté for 5 more minutes.
- 2
Add rice and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the rice is translucent. Add the spices (dried mint, cinnamon, lemon salt, black pepper, dried currants, sugar and allspice) and chopped parsley.
- 3
After another quick stir, add 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice mixture.
- 4
Take off heat and let cool. And now, here comes the fun part. Traditionally, you would put a spoonful of the cooled mixture in the center of the top part of the leaf, fold the sides inwards and then roll the leaf like a cylinder. The process was a breeze. Below is the process fully photographed.
- 5
As the final step, spread a layer of vine leaves on the bottom of a large and heavy pot (to prevent the stuffed leaves from burning).
- 6
Lay all your dolmas side by side and tuck very tightly. Transfer the remaining 1/4 cups of olive oil, juice of half a lemon and 2 cups of boiling water, cover with a plate upside down (so that the dolmas don’t move around in boiling water) and bring to a boil.
- 7
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until all the water is absorbed (roughly 45-60 minutes).
- 8
Transfer to your serving dish and let cool.
Notes and swaps
- Not assessed yet. Check each ingredient if you have an allergy.
