There are many variations of this recipe, often called Dolma. You can use cabbage leaves but I find the dish more tasteful with grape leaves with beef mince and rice. I prefer fresh grape leaves, but the recipe is equally delicious with jarred leaves.
Juicy Grape Leaves with Beef and Rice Filling
There are many variations of vegetable leaves stuffed with minced meat. Either fresh or jarred, these grape leaves with beef mince and rice are delicious.
Ingredients
Dolma
1 ¼ pounds ground beef (minced beef)
⅔ cup basmati rice - or any other type you prefer
1 pound grape leaves - fresh or jarred from your local grocery store
⅓ cup fresh dill - chopped
⅓ cup cilantro (coriander) - fresh, chopped
1 medium red onion - finely chopped
6 cups beef stock (beef broth or beef bouillon) - or chicken broth or water – hot
1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper - or to taste
Dressing
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic bulb - minced- ⅓ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Dolma
- You can cook the ground beef for 5 minutes in olive oil but that's optional.
- Blend the beef, rice, cilantro, chopped onion, dill and seasoning.
- Put the fresh grape leaves in boiling water until they become soft. Small leaves may take 30 seconds but larger leaves might need up to 3 minutes. If you opt for leaves from a jar, just rinse them off and make sure there are no thick stems.
- If using jarred leaves, rinse off the brine. If jarred leaves are thick, blanch them for 2 minutes before using them.
- If you find any large leaf, you can it in half so that the roll is of the same size as the others. If a leaf is cut or it has holes, don't throw it the trash; you can use two or three together to make rolls.
- Use a tablespoon to put the beef mix on the opaque side of each leaf.
- One by one roll the leaves tight and place them next to each other in a pot, in a circle without leaving any space.
- Cover with a heat-resistant plate.
- Pur the warm stock or water onto the pot until the leaves are almost covered.
- Cover the pot, and simmer for approximately one hour
Dressing
- Blend the yogurt, garlic and salt.
- Put 4-5 rolls on a plate and serve together with a tbsp of the dressing.
Notes
You can pre-cook the rice and sautee the beef mince for 10 minutes before you blend them. This is optional and if do this you can decrease the cooking time almost by 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 561kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 50gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1616mgPotassium: 1624mgFiber: 14gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 31606IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 542mgIron: 8mg
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