Stuffed Vine Leaves - Authentic Turkish Dolma Recipe

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 lb pickled grape leaves, pickled in brine then washed and drained
• 4 medium onions, diced
• 2 cups rice, washed under cold water and drained
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup dried currant
• 1 tablespoon dried mint flakes
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon salt
• 1/2 lemon, juice of

Recipe

• 1 dice the onions and sauté with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
• 2 when they turn translucent, add the pine nuts and sauté for 5 more minutes.
• 3 add rice and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the rice is translucent.
• 4 add the spices (dried mint, cinnamon, lemon salt, black pepper, dried currants, sugar and allspice) and chopped parsley.
• 5 after another quick stir, add 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice mixture.
• 6 take off heat and let cool.
• 7 and now, here comes the fun part. traditionally, you would put a spoonful of the cooled mixture in the center of the top part of the leaf, fold the sides inwards and then roll the leaf like a cylinder. but since i have “the ultimate dolma machineâ€? (follow the link mentioned in the description section), i just placed a leaf on the rubber compartment of the machine, put a tbps of mixture in the middle and with a single slide, there comes my dolma from the other side of the machine. the process was a breeze. it took me only 10 minutes to roll nearly 40 perfectly shaped dolmas. below is the process fully photographed.
• 8 as the final step, spread a layer of vine leaves on the bottom of a large and heavy pot (to prevent the stuffed leaves from burning).
• 9 lay all your dolmas side by side and tuck very tightly.
• 10 transfer the remaining 1/4 cups of olive oil, juice of half a lemon and 2 cups of boiling water, cover with a plate upside down (so that the dolmas don’t move around in boiling water) and bring to a boil.
• 11 reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until all the water is absorbed (roughly 45-60 minutes).
• 12 transfer to your serving dish and let cool.