TOP 6 delicious dolma recipes

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:55

Features of cooking. TOP 6 best dolma recipes from lamb, beef, in a saucepan, slow cooker, oven, in Azerbaijani, in Armenian, in Balkan. Video recipes.

Dolma is a national dish of many peoples of Transcaucasia, the Balkans, Western and Central Asia. Even North Africa has its own recipes for making dolma. It is stuffed with grape leaves or vegetables, usually rice, herbs, minced meat or boiled meat are put inside. It can be beef, lamb, pork, or a mix of different types of meat. Each nation has its own special ways of folding the leaves, different fillings and special sauces for the dish. Traditionally, it is cooked in a saucepan, but with the advent of household appliances, an oven and multicooker can be adapted for this. Next, we will consider the basic principles of cooking and the most popular dolma recipes suitable for home use.

Features of cooking dolma

Dolma is just one of the names of this dish, which comes from the Turkic word "Dolmak", which means "to fill". It has a rich history, recipes can be found in cookbooks of different peoples of the world. The first mention of dolma dates back to the era of the Ottoman Empire, then it was one of the dishes of the Sultan's cuisine.

Many peoples ascribe to themselves the classic recipe for the dish, but most of the controversy on this topic is observed between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The first are sure that it was from them that dolma got into the court cuisine of the Ottoman Empire, at the same time in 2017 the dish was recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage not of Armenia, but nevertheless of Azerbaijan. Each housewife in these countries has her own recipe for homemade dolma, differing in ingredients, while the technique of stuffing the leaves is almost identical.

Dolma is usually prepared in grape leaves, but the filling may well be wrapped in leaves of cabbage, horse sorrel, figs, quince. Only young spring leaves are used, while vegetables are stuffed in summer. This can be pepper, tomato, eggplant, apple, quince, courgette, or onion. The casing not only keeps its shape, but also gives the dish a special flavor.

The filling is usually rice or cereal with minced meat. In the classic recipe, minced meat for dolma is taken from beef or lamb, but it is quite possible to use pork, chicken, or make a vegetarian dish without meat. Fish can be added to the filling instead of meat. Fillet of sturgeon or stellate sturgeon will do. To improve the taste of the filling, you can add seasonings, nuts, onions, sprinkle with lemon juice or olive oil into it. Also, greens are necessarily thrown into the minced meat - basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, tarragon. The filling for lean dolma can be lentils, red beans, chickpeas, mushrooms are also often used.

Homemade dolma is always served with sauce. It should be sour or sour-sweet. It is often made from the broth in which the dolma was cooked, mixed with various spices. A sauce is also made based on sour milk products and crushed garlic. Can be nut-mushroom sauce, cherry.

Another subject of dispute between Armenians and Azerbaijanis was the question of how to wrap dolma. The first ones fold it into a tube and shove the edges of the leaf inside, according to the principle of our cabbage rolls. In Azerbaijani cuisine, it is customary to fold dolma into an envelope. Whichever method you choose, the dish in any case turns out to be very tasty and satisfying.

TOP 6 dolma recipes

Classic dolma is made from grape leaves, but there are many filling options and heat treatment methods that allow you to make this dish in a different way every time. Having mastered the basic principles of making dolma, you can independently experiment with fillings and sauces, creating your own author's recipe.

Azerbaijan dolma

Since the dish is considered part of the intangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, first of all, we will consider how to cook dolma from grape leaves in Azerbaijani style. In this recipe, the leaves are filled with meat, rice and various herbs, the dish turns out to be juicy, aromatic and incredibly tasty, especially with matsuna and garlic sauce. If it is not possible to use fresh herbs, you can take dried, dolma will turn out to be excellent as well.

Caloric content per 100 g - 572 kcal.
Servings - 5
Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Minced meat (lamb, beef) - 500 g
Grape leaves - 600 g
Mint - 1 bunch
Fresh cilantro - 1 bunch
Fresh dill - 1 bunch
Butter - 100 g
Rice - 4 tablespoons
Bulb onions - 1 pc.
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Step-by-step preparation of Azerbaijani dolma:

Rinse the greens thoroughly. Finely chop the dill and cilantro. Pick only the leaves from the mint and cut them as well.
Combine chopped greens with minced meat and mix thoroughly. If there is no lamb, then you can cook beef dolma, but it will turn out to be less juicy.
Peel the onion and chop finely. Add it to the meat.
Cook the rice in salted water until half cooked. This is not a mandatory item; you can also take raw rice. Add it to the minced meat.
Cut the butter into cubes, toss it into the minced meat, salt and pepper and knead everything thoroughly.
Rinse the grape leaves thoroughly, sort. Set aside high-quality ones for stuffing, and line the bottom of the pan with torn and small ones. The layer should be small.
Place a high-quality leaf with a rough side up, with a sharp edge away from you, cut off the stalk. Put the minced meat on the wide side of the leaf, bend it onto the filling on the right and left edges of the leaf, roll the leaf into a small tube. So stuff all the leaves.
Next, place them tightly in a saucepan, press the dolma down with a plate on top. Pour boiling water into a saucepan so that it does not cover the top layer.
Boil the dolma in a saucepan until the water boils away. You can tilt the pot slightly to check for it while cooking.

Dolma in Azerbaijani style goes well with natural yogurt. You can also add grated garlic to sour cream and serve this sauce to guests along with the dish.

Armenian dolma

Now we will learn how to cook dolma according to the recipe of the eternal culinary opponents of Azerbaijanis - Armenians. The peculiarity of the Armenian dish is that in their recipe for classic dolma, among the ingredients there are tomato or tomato paste, bell peppers and ground paprika. All these products combine to give the broth in which the stuffed leaves are boiled, a soft red hue and an unforgettable aroma.

Ingredients:

Beef tenderloin - 1, 3 kg
Basmati rice - 7.5 g
Tomatoes - 150 g
Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
Grape leaves - 650 g
Sliced onions - 2 tbsp.
Butter - 9 tablespoons
Cilantro - 2 tbsp.
Basil - 2.5 tablespoons
Ground paprika - to taste
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Step by step preparation of Armenian dolma:

Wash all vegetables and herbs.
Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and peel them off.
Remove the stalk from the pepper and peel it of seeds.
Peel the onion, cut into 4 parts.
Rinse the tenderloin, cut off the films from it.
Pour boiling water over the grape leaves and steam them for 10 minutes.
Pass the meat, herbs, peppers, onions, butter and tomatoes through a meat grinder. Stir the minced meat, salt and pepper, season with dried basil and paprika.
Pour raw rice into the minced meat and knead everything thoroughly.
Remove the leaves from the water, carefully separate them from each other and cut off the cuttings and coarse veins from each.
Place the sheet with the glossy side down. Place the walnut-sized filling on the edge. Roll the leaf into a tube, but not very tightly so that the rice swelling during cooking does not break through the walls. Do this with each leaf.
Cover the bottom of the pan with defective sheets. Place the stuffed leaves on top.
Fill the pot with water so that it does not cover the top row, and press the dolma down with a plate to evenly boil the rice. You can use broth instead of water.
Put the saucepan on the fire, when the water boils in it, move the dish to the small burner and cook for another 40 minutes.

Lay out the Armenian dolma in portions of 10-12 pieces. on a plate and top with yogurt sauce. Also, be sure to add more sauce.

Baked dolma in the oven

Now it's time to learn how to cook dolma at home, not according to the traditional recipe. The dish baked, not cooked in a saucepan, turns out to be very juicy and tasty, additional sourness and an unsurpassed aroma are added to it by cheese-cream sauce. For the filling, minced beef or lamb is usually taken, but if it is not available, you can use pork or chicken.

Ingredients:

Grape leaves (salted) - 30 pcs.
Minced meat - 600 g
Onions - 299 g
Garlic - 3 cloves
Processed cheese - 200 g
Sour cream - 200 g
Milk - 200 ml
Water - 200 ml
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Cooking dolma in the oven step by step:

Make the sauce first. To do this, mix water, milk, sour cream and cheese. Squeeze 2 cloves of garlic into the resulting mass, salt and pepper to taste.
Squeeze the remaining garlic into the minced meat. Peel the onion, chop finely, throw it over the minced meat, salt and pepper it, carefully sweep everything out.
If you are using canned or salted grape leaves for dolma, pre-soak them in cold water for 20 minutes. If you have fresh leaves, dip them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, remove and let cool.
Put 1 tablespoon on a piece of paper. minced meat, roll up a tube, fill the sides, as in a stuffed cabbage roll. So stuff all the leaves.
Lay all the tubes in layers in a mold with high sides. Pour the prepared sauce over them so that the leaves are completely covered.
Bake at 180 ° C for 40 minutes.

Dolma from grape leaves in a creamy cheese sauce turns out to be very tender with a slight sourness. Serve it hot.

Lenten dolma

Despite the fact that there is absolutely no meat in this grape leaf dolma recipe, it turns out to be very satisfying, tasty and juicy. A special piquant taste is given to the dish by a mixture of spices, and instead of minced meat, walnuts and champignons or any other mushrooms that you have at hand are perfectly saturated.

Ingredients:

Grape leaves - 50 pcs.
Rice - 1 tbsp.
Champignons - 200 g
Bulb onions - 1-2 pcs.
Tomato - 1 pc.
Walnuts - 100 g
Ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp
Salt - 2/3 tsp
Dried savory - 1 tsp
Peppermint (fresh leaves or dry) - 20 g
Olive oil - 50 g
Lemon - 1/2 pc.

Step by step preparation of lean dolma:

Wash fresh grape leaves, put in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over. If the leaves are canned, just fill them with cold water.
Peel the onion and chop finely. Pour 2 tablespoons into a frying pan. olive oil and fry the onion in it for 1-2 minutes.
Peel the mushrooms, wash and chop finely. Add them to the onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Peel the nuts from the shell and partitions, chop and throw in a pan with mushrooms and onions. Fry all for 1 minute.
Wash the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them, peel them off, cut the pulp into cubes and also send them to mushrooms and nuts. Cook for 1-1.5 minutes.
Rinse the rice, throw it raw to the mushrooms. Mix everything and fry until the liquid has completely evaporated.
When the liquid has evaporated, remove the frying pan from the heat, salt everything, season with spices and finely chopped herbs. Mix everything.
Put a little filling on the edge of the sheet, tuck the side parts and wrap the sheet in a tube. Do this with all suitable leaves, and line the bottom of the pan with torn and small leaves.
Put all the stuffed sheets tightly into the container. Put a layer of low-quality leaves on top again and cover everything with a plate.
Pour 2 tbsp. salted water, add the juice of 1/2 lemon, 2-3 tbsp. oils.
When the water boils, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Despite the fact that this is a lean dolma, it turns out to be very satisfying, 10-12 pcs. enough to eat your fill.

Dolma in a multicooker

Dolma at home can be easily cooked in a multicooker. It will not boil down, the leaves will retain their structure and remain crispy.

Ingredients:

Minced beef - 450 g
Grape leaves - 350 g
Onions - 2 pcs.
Rice - 1 tbsp.
Salt - 1 tsp
Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1 pc.
Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
Beef broth - 2 tbsp.
Vegetable oil - 3-4 tablespoons
Tomato puree - 1 tbsp.
Grated cumin - to taste

Step by step cooking dolma in a slow cooker:

Cook the rice.
Peel the onion and cut into half rings, salt and pepper, add cumin. Remember the seasoned onion with your hands.
Pour the cooled rice into the onion, add the minced meat there and beat in the egg. Knead everything thoroughly.
Rinse the leaves, dry, remove the cuttings.
Put the filling on the edge of the sheet, fold the sheet and roll it up. So stuff all the leaves.
Wash the bell pepper, remove the stalk and seeds, cut into half rings. Place the peppers in the bottom of the multicooker bowl.
Put all the grape leaf tubes tightly on top of the pepper.
Pour tomato puree and broth into a bowl, salt and pepper to taste. If there is no broth, you can simply fill it with water, water with spices, or water with a bouillon cube.
Cook dolma in a slow cooker for 2 hours on the "Stew" mode.

You can put the dish on the table with garlic sauce or just sour cream.

Balkan Dolma

The Balkans also have their own special recipe for dolma from grape leaves. The original sourness of the dish is given by apples, which are laid between the stuffed leaves during the cooking process. It itself turns out to be small enough, but the amount of food used is enough to feed a family of 3 people.

Ingredients:

Grape leaves - 40-60 pcs.
Apples - 2-3 pcs.
Minced pork and beef - 0.8 kg
Rice groats - 1/2 tbsp.
Tomatoes - 150 g
Onions - 200 g
Broth - 0.5 l
Cream or sour cream - 300 g
Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
Greens (cilantro, parsley) - to taste
Salt, pepper - to taste

Step by step preparation of Balkan dolma:

Wash the tomatoes, scald with boiling water, remove the peel from them, finely chop the pulp.
Peel the onion, grate it on a fine grater.
Wash greens and chop finely.
Boil rice until half cooked.
Put the minced meat, tomatoes, onions, herbs and rice in a deep bowl, salt and pepper everything and knead thoroughly.
Cut the cuttings from grape leaves, put them in a saucepan and pour boiling water over them. Drain the water after 15 minutes.
Put 1 tablespoon on the edge of the sheet. fillings, fold the side parts to the center of the sheet, roll it into a tube or fold it in an envelope. Do this with all the leaves.
Wash the apples, peel and cut into thin slices.
In a cauldron or cast-iron saucepan, cover the bottom with grape leaves, lay dolma on top in layers. Fill the space between the stuffed leaves with apple slices.
Pour cream and tomato paste into the broth, mix everything, pour into a cauldron and press with a plate.
Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.