What are Dolmas: Stuffed Grape Leaves?
The word Dolma, from the Turkish verb Dolmak, essentially means “to fill”, referring to all kinds of stuffed foods, from grape leaves to stuffed tomatoes, zucchini or even peppers.
Now you will find many variants of recipes of stuffed grape leaves, from Turkey and Greece to Lebanon, passing through Egypt, where it is called Warak Enab (vine paper). Some recipes containing meat, other vegetarians. Some contain tomato sauce, others cooked in lemon broth. I have not yet found a license of stuffed grapes, dolma, or Greek dolmades that I did not like, but this recipe is my absolute favorite.
What is in the stuffed grape leaves? In this recipe, grape leaves are filled with a delicious mixture of meat and rice, seasoned with hot spices (allspice and cumin) and loaded with fresh herbs in the form of parsley, dill and mint. Then, once stuffed, the grape leaves are cooked in a delicious lemon broth.
I love serving these dolmades with a side dish of Greek tztatziki sauce and Greek salad or tabouli for a light meal. But I have a lot more ideas for you below, so keep reading!
Dolmas Ingredients:
• 1 jar of 16 oz grape leaves in brine (about 60 to 70 leaves),
• 1 ½ cup short grain rice, soaked in plenty of water for 15 minutes, then drained
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ cup EACH chopped fresh parsley, fresh dill and fresh mint
• 1-2 sliced tomatoes
• About 4 cups or more low-sodium chicken broth or water
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 12 oz lean minced meat
Prepare grape leaves For Dolmas
If you use vine leaves vial as I am here, remove them from the pot and throw away the brine. Thoroughly rinse the grape leaves and place them in a colander to drain. (Later in the process, you remove the rods before filling.) (See notes if fresh grape leaves are used)
Prepare the stuffing For Dolmas
1. Soak rice in plenty of water for about 15-20 minutes or until you can easily break a grain of rice. Drain well.
2. While the rice soaks, cook the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook briefly, about 2 minutes, throwing until translucent. Add the meat and cook until completely golden brown, throwing from time to time. Drain excess fat, then season the meat with kosher salt, pepper and spices. Chop to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, drained rice and fresh herbs. Season lightly with kosher salt. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix so that everything is well incorporated.
Fill the grape leaves, assemble and cook
1. Prepare a heavy saucepan and lightly brush the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Place a few grape leaves on the bottom (I used the leaves that do not look very good here and made three layers to protect the stuffed leaves from burns later). Garnish with sliced tomatoes.
2. To fill the grape leaves, you will work one leaf at a time. Place a single grape on a cutting board on the texture/rough side facing you. Take 1 full teaspoon of the filling and place it in the center of the sheet, then fold the sides over the filling and roll (think about it as spring rolls or cigars.) Repeat with remaining vine leaves or until filling is complete.
3. Carefully lay out the grape leaves in a row, sew, in their prepared pot, covering the circumference of the pot. Then place a small inverted dish on top. Boil the broth or water and pour over the grape leaves, reaching the top layer and something covering (about 4 cups of liquid, maybe a little more.)
4. Now cover the pan with the lid and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and remove the dish, then pour the juice of 2 lemons. Cover again with the lid (no need for the plate at this stage), simmer 30 to 45 minutes more or until cooked.
How to make stuffed grape leaves (Dolmas)
Step 1: Prepare grape leaves
We use pot of grape leaves in brine, it is not necessary to cook. But before using it in this recipe, remove them from the jar and rinse thoroughly. Let them drain in a colander while preparing the filling.
Step 2: Prepare the filling.
The garnish here is made of rice, cooked minced meat and a few fresh chopped herbs (parsley, dill and mint).
First, rinse the rice and soak in water for 20 minutes (this is an important step, read on for more tips). Then drain well. And while the rice soaks the meat. Fry finely chopped onions, add meat and cook until completely browned. Be sure to drain excess fat, then season the meat with salt and kosher pepper, allspice and cumin (so tasty!) Allow to cool.
Mix the meat, rice and fresh herbs. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix. Add a pinch of kosher salt.
Step 3: Fill and roll the grape leaves
that I like to start by preparing my saucepan so that I can fix the grape leaves like stuffing.
Lightly grease the jar with a little extra virgin olive oil, then add a few layers of grape leaves and cover with sliced tomatoes. This protects stuffed grape leaves that touch the bottom of the pot from burns.
To fill the grape leaves, work one sheet at a time. Place the flat sheet on a cutting board with the most textured side facing you. Cut off the stem. Take a heaped teaspoon of the rice filling mixture (a little less than 1 tablespoon) and place it in the center of the leaf (near the place where the stem was). Fold the sides on the filling and roll, continue to bulge the left and right sides while rolling (think about this as if rolling spring rolls or cigars).
Fold and roll the grape leaves tight enough but not too tight so that the rice has room to expand during cooking.
Step 4: Assemble the grape leaves in the pan
Carefully arrange the grape leaves in rows, sew down, in their prepared pot, covering the circumference of the pot.
Then place a small inverted dish on top (this helps to keep them in place during cooking). Boil water or broth and pour over the grape leaves, reaching the top layer and something covering (about 4 cups of liquid, maybe a little more.)
Step 5: Cook the grape leaves on the stove
Cover the pan with its lid and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and remove the dish, then pour the juice of 2 lemons. Cover again with the lid (no need for the plate at this stage), simmer 30 to 45 minutes more or until cooked. Let stand for 20-30 minutes, uncovered, before moving to the serving tray.
Tips for making this grape leaves recipe For Dolmas
Some important tips for making grape leaves. Here they are:
1. Soak rice in water before using it in the filling. Two important ingredients of our grape leaf topping here are cooked minced meat and rice. It is important to rinse the rice well to remove excess starch that makes the rice sticky. Then soak the rice for 20 minutes or until you can break a grain of rice by pressing it between the index finger and thumb. This way, your rice cooks evenly because the inside of the grain is actually cooked before the outside loses its shape. (I do the same when I cook my Lebanese rice and Greek lemon rice, it works every time!)
2. No need to fill the vine leaves! Do not overfill the grape leaves, remember that the filling is mainly rice and will grow as it is cooked.
3. Roll well but leaves room for expansion. Roll the grape leaves tight enough so that they do not detangle or collapse during cooking, but remember that the rice will expand during cooking, so do not fold too well or the rice does not cook properly.
4. Keep grape leaves floating or untangled during cooking. To do this, make sure that the grape leaves are assembled in their pot with the seam down. Then add a small inverted dish to the grape leaves assembled in the pot to keep them intact and prevent them from floating during cooking. Once the liquid has been absorbed, you can remove the dish to finish cooking as shown.
5. Let the cooked grape leaves stand for 30 minutes before serving. I know, it's so hard not to dig immediately into these tasty grape leaves! But for best results, let them stand for 20-30 minutes so that the remaining liquids are absorbed and the leaves fit well, and taste only a better taste.
Option Vegetarian Grape Leaves
need to make this vegetarian recipe:
• The difference in vegetarian grape leaves is obviously in the filling mixture. You will need to skip the meat and add ½ cup more rice.
• Fry the onions (without meat this time) until translucent. And add the onions to the rice. Add spices (allspice and cumin) and a pinch of salt and add fresh herbs. Mix to combine and use this vegetarian mixture in the recipe as described.
Where to find grape leaves?
Many grocery stores now carry swollen grape leaves in the brine; see International Food Section.
Can I use fresh grape leaves to make Dolmas?
If you are lucky enough to find fresh vine leaves, by any means you should use them to make these dolmas. To use them in this recipe, be sure to first wash them thoroughly, and then blanch them in warm boiling water. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to completely cool and drain. From it you can use them as indicated in the recipe.
What to serve with stuffed grape leaves People often ask me if they should serve dolmas or cold or hot stuffed grape leaves.
And what to serve with stuffed grape leaves?
Traditionally, Greek dolmas, especially those without meat, are served at room temperature or slightly colder as part of Mezze! This is never a bad idea, and do not forget a little tztaziki, creamy hummus, or a smoked Baba Ganoush to serve.
But, since these are grape leaves stuffed with meat, you can absolutely serve them hot as a main dish with one side of Tzatziki (or simple yogurt) and Greek salad or taboli! You can also serve them as Greek lamb, grilled lamb cutlets, roasted chicken or souvlaki!