30 min prep time, 45 min cooking time, serves 6 to 8 people
Dolma is a very popular dish in many cuisines around the world, especially in eastern Europe and the Middle East. At its core, dolma are vegetables stuffed with a vegetarian or meat filling. In this recipe, we will show you how to make dolma of the grape leaf variety, stuffed with ground lamb. This dish can be served as a main course or an appetizer depending on the serving size.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground lamb or beef
- 3 onions, grated
- 1 jar grape leaves, marinated or fresh
- 1 cup rice, uncooked
- 1 сup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse grape leaves with warm water.
- In a large bowl, add the ground lamb, uncooked rice, grated onions, chopped mint, and chopped cilantro. Sprinkle your preferred amount of salt and pepper and mix well.
- Lay out a grape leaf and put 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the leaf.
- Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling and roll forward. Keep tucking the left and right sides as you roll. Fold and roll the grape leaf tightly enough to keep it together, but not so tight that the rice doesn’t have room to expand as it cooks. Repeat until all grape leaves and meat is used.
- Start boiling a pot of water. Meanwhile, arrange the dolma seam side down in rows in a pot and cover the dolma with a plate. Pour the boiled water into the pot until the water covers the plate.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook the dolma for 45 minutes over medium heat. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat.
- Serve the dolma with plain yogurt mixed with minced garlic.