Dolma is perhaps one of the hallmarks of Caucasian cuisine. It's easy to cook it yourself at home. Learn how Turkish dolma is made with frozen grape leaves in a step-by-step photo recipe. Video recipe.
Dolma is a beautiful bright dish of Central Asian and Caucasian cuisine. The technique of its preparation is somewhat similar to our cabbage rolls, i.e. a filling of rice and minced meat is wrapped in grape leaves. Although some peoples wrap it in horse sorrel, tight eggplants, fig or quince leaves. The classic recipe involves three main components: minced meat, the addition of cereals with vegetables and leaves for wrapping. To reveal the bouquet of flavors of a Caucasian dish, sweet and sour-sweet spices are added to the minced meat.
An important feature of dolma is the cooking method. The tightly wrapped dolma is placed on the bottom of the pan, and oppression is placed on top so that it does not float and does not lose its shape. A heavy plate with a jar filled with water, a lid and other handy tools are used as a weighting agent.
See also how to make beef dolma with rice.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 198 kcal.
- Servings - 3
- Cooking time - 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- Grape leaves - 50 pcs. (the recipe uses frozen, but fresh or canned will work)
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Meat - 500 g (lamb is used in the classic recipe, but pork or veal is acceptable in our country)
- Ground black pepper - large pinch
- Rice - 100 g
- Basil - large bunch
- Cilantro - large bunch
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Butter - for frying
- Parsley - a large bunch
- Onions - 1 pc.
Step by step cooking Turkish dolma with frozen grape leaves, recipe with photo:
1. Wash the meat under running water and dry with a paper towel. Cut off unnecessary (films, veins and fat) and twist in a meat grinder.
2. Peel the onions, wash and cut into small pieces. Heat the butter in a skillet and sauté the onion until golden.
3. Pre-boil the rice in salted water until half cooked and add to the minced meat.
4. Add fried onions to the minced meat and pass the garlic through a press.
5. Season food with salt and black pepper and add any spices.
6. Wash cilantro, parsley and basil and dry with a paper towel. Chop finely and add to the minced meat. Stir the filling well. It is most convenient to do this with your hands, passing the food between your fingers, then they will be evenly distributed.
7. Defrost the grape leaves, carefully separate so as not to break and put the front side on the countertop. If you use fresh grape leaves, hold them over steam for 1-2 minutes or pour boiling water over them so that they become more tender and it would be easier to wrap the minced meat in them.
Place the meat filling in the middle of the leaf. The minced meat is always laid out on the matte side of the grape leaves so that the glossy side is on the outside.
8. Roll the grape leaf tightly into a roll. Although dolma can have different shapes: small "pillows" of a square or round shape, cylindrical, oblong or similar to a tube.
9. Place the dolma in a heavy-bottomed cooking pot, pressing firmly against each other. If the saucepan is normal, so that the dolma does not burn during stewing, put a few grape leaves on the bottom of the saucepan.
ten. Pour dolma with drinking water or broth (meat or vegetable) so that it is completely covered and place any weight on top.
11. Send the saucepan to the stove and boil. Bring the temperature down to the lowest setting and cook dolma in Turkish with frozen grape leaves for 25-30 minutes. Serve on the table with chilled and salted yogurt or homemade sour cream.
See also the video recipe on how to cook Turkish dolma.
