Now is the season of fresh young grape leaves, which means they can be used for food, for example, for making dolma. If you like cabbage rolls, then you will definitely like this dish.
Recipe content:
- Ingredients
- Step by step cooking
- Video recipe
There are many wonderful and delicious dishes in Azerbaijan. However, dolma can rightfully be considered the queen of national cuisine. It is a dish of twisted minced mutton (less often beef) with herbs, rice and spices. The filling is stuffed with grape leaves, sometimes quince leaves. In our country, this dish is also loved by many, but each hostess prepares it differently. For example, pork or chicken is used for the filling, or several types of meat are mixed. But today I will tell you how to cook real lamb dolma in grape leaves.
For cooking, you need to find young and fresh grape leaves. Their optimal color is light green or light green. Their size should be about the size of the palm. The younger the leaf, the softer the dolma. But if you don't have fresh leaves, salted or pickled leaves are fine. You can buy them in the conservation department or in the markets from grandmothers with other pickles. This dish is most often served with sauce. It is prepared from fermented milk products like sour cream, yogurt or kefir with the addition of garlic and herbs.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 154 kcal.
- Servings - 15-20 pcs.
- Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Lamb - 600 g
- Grape leaves - 20 pcs.
- Cilantro - large bunch
- Dill - large bunch
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Rice - 100 g
- Butter - 50 g
- Garlic - 2 wedges
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Ground black pepper - a pinch
- Any spices to taste
Step-by-step preparation of dolma in Azerbaijani:
1. Wash the grape leaves under running water and cut off the tails so that only leaves remain.
2. Place them in a wide bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them on for 5-7 minutes. During this time, they will acquire a darker green hue.
3. Peel the onions, wash and cut into small cubes.
4. Put butter in a skillet and melt it over medium heat.
5. Put onion and sauté until transparent.
6. Meanwhile, wash the rice under 5-7 waters to rinse off all the starch. Pour it into a saucepan, pour water in a 1: 2 ratio and boil it for 7-10 minutes.
7. Wash the greens, dry with a paper towel and cut into large pieces. It is not necessary to grind it too finely.
8. Wash the meat and pass it through the middle wire rack of the meat grinder.
9. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
10. Put chopped greens into the minced meat.
11. Then add garlic and sautéed onions.
12. Add the cooked rice to it.
13. Season the filling with salt, ground pepper and any spices. There should be a lot of the latter, because dolma is a fragrant dish.
14. Mix the ingredients well. It is most convenient to do this with your hands.
15. Place the prepared grape leaves on the countertop. In cooking, there are two opinions on which side of the sheet the minced meat should be laid out. Some cooks believe that the minced meat should be placed on the smooth surface of the sheet. Others claim to be on the rough side. I recommend trying two methods and deciding which one you like best.
16. Put the filling in the middle of the leaf.
17. Fold the leaf on both sides.
18. Fold in the bottom edge.
19. Roll the dolma tightly into a roll.
20. Place it compactly in a saucepan.
21. Cover the top with the leaves that remain. If you used all the leaves, then it's okay. Fill the food with water or broth. Boil and simmer the food under pressure for 1 hour. The load can be a plate on which a can of water is installed.
22. Remove the finished dolma from the pan and serve hot. It is usually served with garlic sauce. In addition, the liquid left over from stewing the dish can also be used to make a sauce.
See also the video recipe on how to make dolma from grape leaves.
