Stuffed Vine Leaves - Authentic Turkish Dolma Recipe

Submitted by Cenk Sonmezsoy

"“Dolma” in Turkish translates to any vegetable stuffed with a rice-based mixture. Lots of spices are used for the stuffing. For me, the most important one is the lemon salt. It gives a nice aromatic taste, which can not be replaced by the combination of lemon juice and table salt. If you can not locate any lemon salt, don’t forget to replace it with only half the amount of kosher salt (two tbsp will be too much) and juice of half a lemon. The process may be a little confusing, you can check out step-by-step pictures at my blog here: http://cafefernando.com/?p=42"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 40 dolmas
• Serves: 10

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

directions

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 Machine” (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.

Reviews

[987728]

I lived in Turkey from 1968-1970 where dolmas are popular with everyone. This recipe is better and more mouth watering even than the dolmas sold in Ankara. These are the best of the best!!!

 

[Debbie E.]

It took me practically all day to make this recipe. I was on a mission and didn't care! After trying two other recipes, I was determined to find an authentic Turkish Dolmas recipe and this one had all the makings for success. Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint!!! I followed it meticulously, even by using the 2TBSP lemon salt for which it called. I shared with the folks at work and everyone oooh'ed and ahhh'ed over the taste and texture of the filling. The flavors of the mint and parsley were a perfect marriage for tantalizing the taste buds, and the lemon salt (which I made) helped the flavor linger on the palate for just the right amount of time before taking the next bite. I will be using this recipe exclusively whenever I'm wanting Dolmas again!

 

[Josephine H.]

This recipe calls for TWO Tablespoons of lemon salt. Luckily, I only put in ONE Tablespoon , and even then it was too salty. This must be a typo, and it should read TWO TSPs.<br/>Otherwise, the recipe was fine, although it did not mention how difficult it is to use bottled grape leaves. It was like unfolding 40 butterfly wings, very very tedious.

 

[danielle.w1983]

This recipe was great ! easy to make considering I have never worked with vine leaves before. Husband is Turkish and he said it is the best one he has had so far (and he wasnt just being nice... he actually meant it". I didnt have All Spice so I put some dried dill in instead and also a table spoon of pepper paste to add my own personal touch :)

 

[D Rusak]

These. are. dolmas. Thank you so much for this recipe, I have tried several and none of them came out well until this one. I think I prefer this sort of dolma with the cinnamon and allspice. I omitted the pine nuts since I ran out, but everything came out beautifully. Brought them to my Balkan band rehearsal and they were gone in a minute (along with my bottle of metaxa). Sagliginiza!