Dolma in grape leaves

Greeks, Armenians, Azeris, Uzbeks and many other nations believe that the idea of wrapping minced meat in vine leaves and making a tasty dish from them belongs to them. In fact, it is impossible to say for sure who invented dolma. The main thing is that this dish has become the property of many national cuisines and is popular all over the world. Dolma is a lot like cabbage rolls, but the basis for it is grape leaves, fresh or pickled. They are much softer than cabbage, and it is much easier to wrap the stuffing in them. At the same time the dish turns out tasty and nourishing, with a unique taste and aroma. However, in order for dolma in grape leaves to turn out exactly like this, you need to know and take into account several important points.

Cooking Features

Dolma in grape leaves will turn out to be tender and tasty if you follow the recommendations of experienced chefs when preparing it.

You can use both fresh and pickled grape leaves for dolma. Both those and others before wrapping minced meat in them, it is necessary to rinse well with boiled water.
Dolma can be cooked from any kind of meat, but it is tasted best of all from mixed mince.
Dolma will be tastier if you cook your own stuffing for it, as the purchased product can be made of low quality meat, contain low-grade meat products.
The composition of dolma usually includes rice. Usually used round grain and in moderation. In this case, rice must first be boiled until half cooked. Otherwise, he will not have time to boil out to the necessary degree and will remain firm, which will negatively affect the taste of the finished dish.
Spices and fragrant herbs will give a pleasant aroma to dolma. Usually, fresh cilantro and parsley, fresh or dried mint, and ground pepper are used for this purpose.
If the stuffing for dolma is not solid enough, you can beat a raw egg into it.
Dolma is rolled into square or cylindrical envelopes, stewed in a cauldron or other thick-bottomed sauce in a sauce or some water.

Serve dolma in grape leaves, usually with katyk mixed with garlic. This fermented milk product can be replaced with low-fat sour cream.

Classic Dolma Recipe in Grape Leaves

Composition:

lamb - 0, 5 kg;
grape leaves - 0, 35 kg;
rice cereal - 80 g;
onions - 100 g;
green onions - 100 g;
flour - 40 g;
tomato paste - 70 g;
sour cream - 150 ml;
water - 0, 2 l;
salt, black pepper powder - to taste.

Preparation Method:

Wash the lamb, remove the film and veins, excess fat. Pat dry with paper napkins and cut into small pieces. Scroll through the meat grinder.
Peel the onion and cut it into very small pieces, add to the mince.
Pour salt and pepper in the mince, mix well.
In salted water, boil the bred and washed rice until half cooked. Put it in the stuffing, stir.
Finely chop the green onion with a knife. Add to it tomato paste and sour cream, a little salt and pepper, mix.
Dilute the sauce with water.
Place large grape leaves on the bottom of a cauldron or a thick-bottomed pot, having washed and dried them beforehand.
Wash, dry the remaining leaves.
Place a grape leaf on a cutting board. Cut off coarse items. Place a spoonful of minced meat on top of the sheet. Wrap the top of the sheet to the bottom, tuck the left and right edges to the center. Roll the sheet from top to bottom to make a roll filled with minced meat and rice.
Fold the rolls in a cauldron, pour sauce.
Put the cauldron on slow fire. Stew dolma in grape leaves under a lid for one and a half hours.
Spread the dolma on plates.
Fry the flour in a dry pan. When it gets a caramel tint, fill it with dolma remaining after stewing and stir to prevent lumps from forming. Cook the sauce for a while, stirring to thicken it.

It remains to pour over the dolma with the prepared sauce and serve. Instead of this sauce, you can pour dolma with sour cream or any fermented milk product, mixing it beforehand with garlic passed through a press.

Dolma in lamb leaves with vegetables

Composition:

lamb - 0, 5 kg;
fat tail - 100 g;
fresh grape castings - 0, 4 kg;
onions - 0, 2 kg;
tomatoes - 0, 3 kg;
eggplants - 0, 4 kg;
sweet pepper - 0, 4 kg;
hot peppers - 1 pc .;
butter - 60 g;
water - how much will leave;
salt, black pepper powder - to taste.

Preparation Method:

Wash the lamb. Cut it into pieces and scroll through the meat grinder, alternating with pieces of fat tail. Salt and pepper stuffing.
Finely chop the peeled onion and mix it with minced meat.
Melt butter in a frying pan, put mince into it. Fry it on low heat, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes.
Wash and clean the eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise and dip them in salted water for half an hour. This must be done to rid the eggplant of harmful corned beef, giving them a bitter taste.
Wash the peppers (sweet and hot), cut the stalks and remove the seeds. Cut into small square pieces.
Wash tomatoes. Make crosswise cuts on them. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 2 minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a container with cold water so that they quickly cool down. Take out and clean, cut off the seal in the stalk area. Dice tomato pulp and mix with pepper pieces.
Remove the eggplants from the salt water, rinse them and blot with paper towels. Cut the eggplants into small cubes, mix with the rest of the vegetables.
Put the vegetables in a clean skillet or saucepan, put it on a slow fire. Simmer the vegetables on low heat in their own juice for 20 minutes.
Combine minced meat with vegetables, mix well.
Rinse the grape leaves. Dry them, cut off rough areas.
Make grape leaves stuffing with vegetables, folding envelopes.
Lay the remaining grape leaves on the bottom of the cauldron.
Put it in a cauldron.
Fill with water so that it barely reaches the middle of the upper layer.
Cover the cauldron with a lid and place it on the stove. Stew dolma in grape leaves for an hour.

Serve dolma from lamb with vegetables with sour cream or other thick fermented milk product. This dish is not only tasty, but also very healthy.