Step-by-step recipe for preparing dolma in grape leaves

I was walking around the market and noticed grape leaves on sale. I decided that I could pamper my loved ones and family with dolma. These are the so-called small cabbage rolls in grape leaves, the ancestors of the well-known cabbage rolls in cabbage leaves. Try dolma, and then compare it with the recipe for delicious cabbage rolls. Like cabbage rolls, dolma can be stored in the freezer as a semi-finished product for several months. Therefore, you can always prepare another batch for the future.

Dolma is a wonderful oriental dish that will be an excellent decoration for both festive and everyday tables. And what can we say about the usefulness of this delicious dish! Grape leaves contain a lot of dietary fiber, which improves digestion and stimulates metabolic processes in the body. Frequent consumption of grape leaves improves vision, potency and slows down the aging process. This is probably why dolma is so valued among eastern centenarians.

Dolma has many different cooking options, but I will tell you the recipe as close as possible to the traditional one.

Ingredients:

50 pcs of salted grape leaves (fresh can be used);
500 ml of water or meat broth for cooking dolma;

For filling:

0.5 kg of minced meat (lamb + beef or pork + beef);
0.5 tbsp. rice;
2 large onions;
a small amount of vegetable oil for frying;
small bunches of greens: mint, basil, parsley;
zira - a pinch;
salt;
ground black pepper;

Recipe for delicious classic dolma

1. Rice must be thoroughly washed 5-6 times until the water becomes clear. Next, pour boiling water over our rice so that the water lightly covers it and leave to swell. This way the rice will absorb water and will not take away the juice from the minced meat, which will make the dish more juicy.

Or, you can boil the rice until half cooked. To do this, rinse the rice well, add water, bring the water to a boil and cook for about a minute over medium heat.

2. Chop the onion very finely and set the frying pan to heat up.

3. Add vegetable oil to a heated frying pan and add onions. Fry the onion, stirring evenly, until transparent.

4. When the onion has become transparent, pour our slightly swollen rice into the pan. Stir evenly so that the rice absorbs the onion juice. After this, the dolma filling will become even tastier. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

5. Chop the parsley very finely and place it in a deep bowl in which we will prepare the filling for the minced dolma.

6. Add minced meat to parsley.

7. Add spices, salt and pepper. Mix.

8. Add onion and rice to the minced meat. Mix thoroughly again.

9. While the minced meat is infusing, we will prepare the grape leaves. For dolma, you need to use young green leaves, and they should be collected in the spring. Such leaves are preserved for a year in advance in lightly salted water. Jars with preparations can be found on the market from private traders with pickles.

Carefully straighten the finished grape leaves and remove the petioles. We go through each sheet, putting the damaged ones aside. We will also need them, but not for wrapping dolma, but for lining the cauldron.

If you use fresh young leaves, then before cooking they need to be poured with boiling water and kept in this form for about 10 minutes.

10. Lay out the grape leaves, smooth side down, with the veins pointing upward.

11. Place some minced meat closer to the middle of the sheet.

12. Cover the filling with the bottom edge of the leaf.

14. Roll up our first dolma into a tight tube.

15. We roll up the rest of the dolma using the same technology.

16. Place some of the prepared grape leaves on the bottom of the cauldron in 1-2 layers.

18. Cover the dolma placed in the cauldron with the remaining grape leaves.

19. Fill with meat broth or water so that the liquid lightly covers the dolma. Place a plate on top and, if necessary, place a weight on top. The latter is necessary so that the dolma does not unfold during the cooking process.

20. Place the cauldron on the fire and bring to a boil. When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 1-1.5 hours at a slightly noticeable simmer. Then remove the cauldron from the heat and leave to brew for 10-20 minutes.

The most delicious dolma is ready. Serve it with sour cream or sour cream and garlic sauce. Bon appetit!

The peoples of Asia Minor have long been famous for the diversity of their cuisine. One of the most striking dishes is dolma, which in classical technology is grape leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat.

In our understanding, these are cabbage rolls, in which grape leaves are used instead of cabbage. The dish is extremely tasty and, rest assured, is worth the effort spent on preparing it.

History of the dish

Dolma is extremely common in the cuisines of the peoples of Transcaucasia, Central and Western Asia, the Balkan Peninsula and even North Africa. All national cuisines have their own special technology for preparing dishes and each of them is special in its own way.

The dish belongs to Armenian cuisine, which has long been famous for its best recipes.

The Armenian people claim that they were the discoverers of dolma, and only later, the dish became popular in other national cuisines.

According to the Armenians, this food was extremely common in the court cuisine of the Ottoman Empire; this is not strange, because the recipe is distinguished by its taste and originality.

The benefits and harms of dolma

Grape leaves are widely used in medicine; they are rich in a huge amount of vitamins, microelements, and nutrients, so their benefits are undeniable. With regular consumption of dishes based on grape leaves, you can get rid of many ailments, such as migraines, varicose veins.

They are also useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. Grape leaves strengthen the immune system and are a natural elixir of youth.

However, people who are overweight, have ulcers, or diabetics are not recommended to consume dishes made from grape leaves. Because, in this case, dolma will harm the body. In any case, you should consult your doctor.

How to cook dolma

A classic and simple recipe for cabbage rolls in grape leaves.

Ingredients:

grape leaves - approximately 100 pcs;
pork – 1 kg;
optional bones for broth;
round rice - ½ cup;
onion – 4 heads;
Sunflower oil – 50 g;
a pinch of salt;
ground black pepper – 1 tsp;
coriander – ½ teaspoon;
cilantro - a bunch;
parsley - a bunch;
tarragon - smaller than a bunch.

This quantity of products is designed for approximately 20 servings.

Preparation:

The bones need to be fried until an appetizing golden brown crust appears. Fill with water and cook the aromatic broth for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In classical technology, pork should be minced. Cut two onions into large cubes and fry in sunflower oil. Mix with meat, add rice, chopped herbs, seasonings and mix thoroughly.

The most aesthetically important part of preparing a dish is wrapping the envelopes. The filling should be applied to the dull part of the grape leaves. Then, we fold the leaves on the sides and roll them into a tube.

Now you need to fold the dolma into the pan with the seams down. Pour broth around the edge of the pan and simmer for about an hour.

Approximately, one serving of dolma – 150 grams, contains 60 kcal, which is calculated as 55% fat, 30% protein and 15% carbohydrates. However, the dish is healthy and incredibly tasty.

Harvesting grape leaves

And in order to be able to enjoy dolma at any time of the year, you need to take care of preserving the grape leaves. This can be done in different ways: freezing, pickling, pickling, canning. With any method of canning, the leaves need to be prepared. They need to be washed and dried, or lightly wiped. It is advisable to slightly wither - the leaves become less brittle and are easier to manipulate. Cut off the petioles.

Freezing

The easiest and fastest way to store grape leaves is freezing. Fold the prepared leaves into a stack of 10-15 pieces. Roll up, wrap in cling film or place in plastic bags. Place in the freezer. The leaves become very fragile when frozen, so it is best to use them in a container. To prepare dolma, defrost it at room temperature. Then scald with boiling water. Then they retain the beneficial qualities and vitamins as much as possible.

Bottled storage

The container must first be washed thoroughly. To do this, pour 1 tsp inside. salt and baking soda, pour some water and shake the bottle vigorously. Then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
We put the leaves in 3-6 pieces (as it turns out), roll them into a thin tube so that it fits into the neck of the bottle. Use a thin long stick or cocktail tube to help lay the leaves as tightly as possible. Be careful not to tear the leaves! There should be nothing in the bottle except grape leaves.
Press down, release the air, and close the lid tightly.

Now we put it for storage in a closet, on the mezzanine, in the cellar. Placing the workpiece in the cold is contraindicated. With this processing method, the product can be stored for up to two years. When you want to prepare dolma, cut the bottle. We take the leaves out of the container and fill them with cold water. There may be a yellowish coating on the leaves - these are amino acids. Do not take such points as a sign of damage. Straighten, stuff with minced meat and cook. An option for everyone: fill the bottle with leaves in the same way, but add a little salt.

Dry canning

Another simple way to preserve grape leaves is dry canning. To do this, place the prepared leaves tightly in clean glass jars in layers of 10-15 pieces, sprinkling them with salt (not much salt is needed). Next, they need to be sterilized in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes and rolled up with lids. Store in a dark place.

Pickling

In this section we will look at how to pickle grape leaves. Winter grape leaves for dolma can be pickled like regular vegetables. Below we have discussed several methods.

1st method

To pickle the leaves we need:

Wash and sterilize small glass jars.
We roll the prepared grape leaves, about 8-14 pieces each, into tubes and place them tightly in jars.
The next step is to pour boiling water over it for 5-10 minutes, then drain the liquid. Repeat the procedure. For the third time, pour boiling marinade and roll up with a metal lid.

Preparing the marinade

For 1 liter of water add 1 tablespoon of salt, the same amount of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of 9 percent vinegar.

2nd method

Another way to pickle grape leaves for dolma.

We wash the harvested crop under running water and scald it with boiling water.
Place 1-2 pcs at the bottom of a sterilized glass jar. bay leaf, 4-5 peppercorns, 1-2 cloves. Carefully lay the leaves on top in layers.
Prepare the marinade from 1 liter of warm boiled water, 1 tbsp salt and sugar. spoon and 1-2 tbsp. spoons 9% vinegar.
Pour the resulting brine into a jar, put spices on top: bay leaf, cloves, pepper.
Cover with a plastic lid. After a day, pickled grape leaves for dolma are ready for use, but can be stored for quite a long time in a cool place.

You can buy pickled grape leaves for dolma in the store, but as is often the case, homemade preparations are always tastier. And the product marinated with your own hands corresponds to your taste preferences.

Pickling

Let's look at how to pickle leaves. Below we have prepared three ways to prepare salted product

1st method

The leaves can be preserved in a 10% sodium chloride solution. The washed and tightly rolled leaves are placed tightly in a prepared container and filled with non-hot brine. Cover with plastic lids. Salted material can be stored well at room temperature. Before use, the leaves prepared in this way should be kept in lukewarm water for about two hours, this way we will remove excess salt.

2nd method

Grape leaves can be pickled in a less saturated solution. We carry out manipulations as when marinating. Only instead of marinade we use hot brine with a salt content of approximately 2-3%.

3rd method

This method of pickling includes spices. We take scalded and rolled leaves and put them in clean 0.5 liter jars. We make a mixture of:

salt - 1 teaspoon,
dry mustard - 1 teaspoon, sprinkle the leaves with it,
add allspice (several peas).

Fill everything with boiling water and roll up the lids. Store at room temperature.

Dry storage

And now what all our efforts are for – Dolma!

This very tasty dish is prepared quite simply. Minced meat (about 1 teaspoon) is wrapped in a grape leaf in an envelope, like cabbage rolls, only smaller in size. For minced meat we use either beef or lamb. Finely chopped onions, herbs to taste - mint, cilantro, parsley, as well as washed rice are added to it; if desired, it can be boiled a little until half cooked. Mix everything well, season with salt, pepper, spices. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Boil the bone broth in advance and strain through a sieve. Place the minced meat wrapped in leaves, like cabbage rolls, tightly in a pan and cook the dish over low heat until cooked.

Cooking options

Since several nations are fighting for the right to be called the discoverers of this dish, there are also several options for preparing the dish: using Armenian technology, Azerbaijani and Moldavian.

Dolma can also be prepared from pickled grape leaves in a slow cooker. Each of the recipes is unique and has its own unique taste.

Dolma in pickled grape leaves

Ingredients:

50 pickled grape leaves;
5 kg minced lamb;
5 liters of meat broth;
6 tablespoons of coarse grain rice;
5 onions;
50 grams of butter;
50 ml vegetable oil;
aromatic herbs: dill, parsley, cumin;
spices: salt, ground pepper.

Preparation:

If the meat is on the bones, then you need to separate the pulp from the bones, cook the broth on them, and grind the meat using a meat grinder or blender. Otherwise, you can use any meat broth.

Pour boiling water over the rice and cover with a lid to steam a little. After 10-15 minutes, strain and add to the meat.

Peel the onion, wash it to remove any remaining dirt and cut it into cubes. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion in a mixture of oils until golden brown. Add to the filling.

Fresh greens must be washed under running water and finely chopped. Pour into the filling along with the spices and mix thoroughly.

Place the grape leaves on the work surface so that the smooth side is down. Place the filling in the center of the sheet and wrap it in an envelope.

Place the dolma in a thick-bottomed pan, seam side down, add broth, cover with a lid and simmer for about an hour. Then the filling will be tender, and the taste of the dish will amaze your guests.

Delicious Armenian dolma with beef

Ingredients:

1 kg beef;
½ cup rice;
tomato;
bell pepper;
50 grape leaves;
2 onions;
a bunch of parsley;
spices: basil, ground pepper, paprika, salt.

Preparation:

Scald the grape leaves with boiling water, wash them, cut off the veins. Wash the rice thoroughly too.

We wash the vegetables and parsley, remove the skin from the tomato. We chop the parsley, and pass all the vegetables, rice and meat through a meat grinder, add spices and mix.

Place the filling on the leaves, wrap the envelopes and simmer over low heat for at least 50 minutes.

Dolma with vegetables and seasonings will surprise you with its taste.

Azerbaijani dolma with lamb

Ingredients:

lamb – 0.5 kg;
grape leaves – 20-30 pcs;
round rice – 5 tbsp. spoon;
eggs – 2 pcs;
onion – 2 pcs;
greens: cilantro, mint;
spices: salt, ground pepper.

Preparation:

We clean the meat from the veins and grind it. Chop the greens and onions, add to the meat, beat the eggs, add pre-washed rice and spices, mix.

We wrap the filling in leaves, forming envelopes, put the dolma in a pan and simmer for at least an hour.

This technology for preparing dolma is that the filling using an egg is more tender and does not crumble. The dish will certainly surprise the hostess's family.

Moldavian dolma

Ingredients:

30 grape leaves;
½ kg of meat (lamb, pork, beef);
3 onions;
50 ml sunflower oil;
1/3 cup rice;
2 tablespoons of tomato paste;
1 carrot root;
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Grind the meat, cut the onions and carrots into cubes and simmer it all in sunflower oil until golden brown.

Wash the rice, add it to the meat and simmer for another 10 minutes in tomato paste. When the filling has cooled, add chopped herbs, spices and mix.

Place the leaves with their smooth surface down, add the aromatic filling, wrap them in envelopes and simmer for about 40 minutes. Incredible Moldavian dolma will surprise you with its spicy taste.

Recipe in a slow cooker

Ingredients:

5 kg minced meat;
20 grape leaves;
1 onion;
4 tbsp. spoons of rice;
50 g butter;
50 grams of sunflower oil;
1 bunch of greens;
salt and spices to taste.

Preparation:

We wash the rice. Turn on the multicooker, pour in vegetable oil and, using the “frying” mode, fry the chopped onion until golden brown.

In a small bowl, mix minced meat, fried onions, rice, spices, chopped herbs and butter.

Place the filling on pre-prepared leaves, form envelopes and carefully place them in the slow cooker, seam side down. Fill with hot water to cover the envelopes and turn on the “quenching” mode for 1 hour.

Cooking dolma in a slow cooker is easy and simple, and most importantly, delicious.

Vegetarian dolma: recipe with sauce

Dolma are miniature cabbage rolls with grape leaves. Usually, spicy minced meat or fish is used as a filling, but you can also prepare a vegetable dish for those who do not eat meat. This dish is very tasty and popular all over the world.

To prepare vegetarian dolma you will need (3-4 servings):

Grape leaves – 40 pcs.
Chickpeas – 1 tbsp.
Short grain rice – 0.5 tbsp.
Onions – 1 pc.
Celery – 1 pc.
Garlic – 5 cloves
Cilantro to taste
Sesame (seeds) – 1 tbsp.
1 tsp. coriander and black pepper
Olive oil
Salt

For the sauce:

Yogurt
Salt
Garlic – a couple of cloves
Cilantro

For vegetarians
Preparation:

Chickpeas should be pre-soaked overnight. Then drain the water and pour in new water. Cook on medium heat for 1.5 hours. Add a little salt at the end.
Cook the rice until half cooked.
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan, fry finely chopped onion, celery and garlic.
Add rice to the pan and simmer slightly. Remove from heat.
Grind the chickpeas in a blender.
Crush 2 cloves of garlic, sesame seeds and spices in a mortar.
Mix all the ingredients for the filling, add chopped cilantro. If the filling turns out to be slightly runny, you should add some bread crumbs or 1 tsp. breadcrumbs.
Prepare grape leaves.
Wrap the filling in leaves.
Place the envelopes tightly in several layers in the pan.
Pour boiling water over the dolma.
After the water has boiled, cook the dish for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sauce.
Drain and serve at room temperature with sauce.

This dolma is suitable not only for vegetarians, but also for fasting people.

Dolma without meat

There are many more recipes for vegetarian dolma; for example, a very tasty and satisfying dish can be made with the addition of mushrooms. The dish is prepared according to the same principle, but the filling includes the following ingredients:

Leaves – 200 g
Mushrooms (white or champignons) – 400 g
Celery root, parsnip root - 50 g each
Bunch of parsley
Sprig of mint
Dill
1 tbsp. rice
Butter – 50 g
Spices - curry, mixture of herbs, ground pepper, etc. as desired

The same sauce as in the previous recipe will work, but you can use kefir instead of yogurt.

Mushrooms should be cut into slices and cooked for 30 minutes. until the juice comes out of the mushrooms.
Celery and parsnips need to be grated on a fine grater and lightly fried.
Grind mushrooms and herbs in a blender.
Mix all the ingredients for the filling; first, the rice should be ready.
Stuff the leaves and also place them in a saucepan and add water. To prevent the cabbage rolls from unrolling, they need to be pressed down with a plate. Cook for 1-1.5 hours, add water periodically.
Afterwards you need to let the dish brew for 30 minutes. You can wrap the pan in a towel.

Vegetarian option
Serve with sauce. To prepare it, you can use various ingredients as desired, for example, an incredibly tasty sauce that is great for vegetarian dolma is:

Sour cream – 1 tbsp.
Garlic – 2 cloves
Parsley - a couple of sprigs
Curry – 1 tsp.
Salt

Video recipe

There are several main secrets:

To prevent the dish from burning, place grape leaves on the bottom of the pan or multicooker.
We fold the envelopes with the seams down so that they do not unfold during the stewing process.
When all the envelopes are placed in the pan, it is best to secure them by pressing them with a plate. In this case, during the boiling process the filling will not come out of the envelopes.

Dolma is considered one of the simplest and most delicious recipes in the world; only young leaves are suitable for the dish. Then the dolma turns out tender and melts in your mouth. This dish is suitable for every day and for the holiday table.

Dolma is cabbage rolls, but not with cabbage, but with grape leaves. The filling, as in cabbage rolls, is rice and minced meat, and different ones. But dolma can also be vegetarian.

Tasty and aromatic dolma is traditionally prepared in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. However, cabbage rolls made from young grape leaves have become popular in the cuisine of other nations. Recently, a Norwegian friend taught my Armenian friend from Moscow to cook “real dolma”