Classic Dolma with Minced Meat in Grape Leaves

The most delicious of budget products, for the second time for the holiday. This classic dolma is prepared in a saucepan. Tender minced meat is beautifully wrapped in fragrant grape leaves. This is a dish of amazing taste that looks very impressive on the holiday table. Moreover, it is affordable.
cook time: 2h
Gavin Tanner
Classic Dolma with Minced Meat in Grape Leaves

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

216
Calories
16g
Fat
9g
Carbs
7g
Protein

Ingredients (8 portions)

Basic:

Garlic (4 cloves) to taste
Salt to taste
Bulb onions 1 pc
Dry spices (coriander, mint, black, red, hot pepper) to taste
Minced meat 1 kg
Greenery (cilantro, parsley, dill, mint) to taste
Round rice 1 cup
grape leaves 300 g
Matsoni (or sour cream) 400 g

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to cook dolma? Prepare all the necessary ingredients. Use minced meat from any meat you like. If you buy ready-made, take high-quality without additives. But it’s better to make the minced meat yourself. I have beef, pork and chicken. Round rice is fine. It contains more starchy substances. Thanks to them, the rice perfectly absorbs moisture and aromas, and also holds the filling together well. Matsoni can be replaced with sour cream.

Step 2

Step 2
Choose leaves that are younger and lighter in color. If you have fresh ones, cut off the “tails” and rinse them thoroughly under running water. Pour boiling water over the leaves, hold for 5 minutes and drain the water. If the leaves are pickled, they need to be unwrapped, taken apart one by one, pour boiling water over them and hold for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Step 3
Place the minced meat and raw rice in a deep bowl to mix the filling. Peel and rinse the onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Leave some garlic and herbs, they will come in handy later (step 10). Remove hard stems and limp leaves from the greens, rinse and dry. Chop the onion, garlic and herbs with a knife. Add onion, garlic, herbs, salt and spices to the minced meat.

Step 4

Step 4
Knead the filling thoroughly until smooth. It is more convenient to do this by hand.

Step 5

Step 5
To stew dolma, take a pan with a capacity of about 5 liters. Line the bottom with grape leaves to prevent the dolma from burning.

Step 6

Step 6
Now start collecting dolma. Form an oblong “patty” from a small amount of filling and place it on the ribbed part at the base of the sheet. The size depends on the sheet size. My filling turned out to be slightly smaller than a walnut.

Step 7

Step 7
Wrap the filling in the sheet, tucking the edges. Do not roll too tightly so that the leaves do not burst when the rice absorbs water and the filling expands in volume. The smooth part of the sheet should remain on top. It will immediately seem that this is difficult and will take a lot of time, but after 2-3 envelopes, you will get the hang of it and fold everything easily.

Step 8

Step 8
Place dolma in a pan, tightly in a circle, seam side down.

Step 9

Step 9
Pour boiling water over the dolma until it is completely covered with water. Place a weight on top, such as a heavy plate, to prevent the dolma from floating and the leaves from unfurling. If you used fresh leaves, add a little salt to the water. Simmer the dolma over low heat for 1 hour after boiling. The times are approximate — use your equipment as a guide.

Step 10

Step 10
Prepare the sauce. Pour the matsoni into a linen or cotton bag and strain, hanging for about an hour to drain the liquid. Then mix matsoni with chopped garlic and herbs.

Additional rubrics

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