Dolma is a grape leaves stuffed with minced meat. Making dolma from grape leaves is not as difficult as it looks at first glance, but its peculiar taste will leave few people indifferent. This dish is widespread among the peoples of Transcaucasia, Western and Central Asia, the Balkan Peninsula, and each cuisine has its own options for preparing this dish.
It is necessary
- - For filling:
- - minced mutton or lamb and beef - 500 g;
- - onions - 4–5 pieces, depending on the size;
- - round grain rice - 5 tablespoons;
- - vegetable oil - 60 ml;
- - butter - 50 g;
- - dill, basil, cilantro, mint greens - 1 bunch each;
- - ground cumin - a pinch;
- - freshly ground black pepper, salt.
- - For the sauce:
- - natural yogurt or sour cream - 1 glass;
- - greens;
- - garlic - 5-6 cloves;
- - salt;
- - grape leaves - 40-50 pieces;
- - water or meat broth - 500 ml.
Instructions
Step 1
Dolma leaves can be taken fresh or salted. If the leaves are fresh, they should be young, about the size of a palm. If the leaves are old or very large, then it is better not to use them, but to take salted, harvested for future use or bought in a store.
Step 2
For the preparation of dolma, foliage is used only from white grape varieties. The leaves are washed well, put in a bowl and poured with boiling water for 5-7 minutes, then they are thrown back in a colander and all the rest of the water is shaken off from them. Petioles on each leaf are removed.
Step 3
To prepare the filling, boil the rice. To do this, it is washed, placed in a saucepan, and filled with water. The saucepan is placed on the stove, the rice is brought to a boil and cooked for 2-3 minutes after boiling, then put into a colander.
Step 4
In a frying pan, butter and vegetable oil are heated, peeled and chopped onions are laid out. Onions are salted and fried over low heat until soft. Greens are washed and finely chopped. Minced meat, fried onions, rice, chopped greens, pepper, cumin, salt are laid out in a bowl and all this is mixed well with your hands.
Step 5
Grape leaves are laid out out of the blue, smooth side down. A little filling is laid out in the middle of the sheet. To wrap the filling in a sheet, first its upper edge is folded, then the filling is closed with the sides and rolled up into a tight tube, like stuffed cabbage rolls. The rest of the dolma is folded in the same way.
Step 6
Further, to prepare dolma from grape leaves, a thick-bottomed pan is taken. At its bottom, grape leaves are laid out in 1-2 layers. Dolma is tightly laid on these leaves, seam down, in several layers.
Step 7
Then all this is poured with broth flush with dolma. It is necessary to press down on top with a load so that the dolma does not unfold during cooking. Put the saucepan on the fire, bring the dish to a boil and cook for 1–1.5 hours over low heat. Finished dolma is infused for about 10 minutes for better impregnation with broth.
Step 8
While making dolma from grape leaves, you can make a sauce. Greens are washed, dried and finely chopped. The garlic is peeled and minced. Sour cream combines with herbs, garlic and salt, everything is thoroughly mixed. The sauce tastes better if it is chilled in the refrigerator for 2–4 hours. Dolma is served hot with sauce.
