stuffed grape leaves iranian style dolma

Ingredients stuffed grape leaves iranian style dolma

250 g vine leaves washed and stems removed
250 g lamb or beef ground
100 g long grain rice
50 g parsley finely chopped
50 g dill finely chopped
50 g peppermint finely chopped
50 g tarragon finely chopped
50 g spring onion finely chopped
2 onions finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
black pepper
salt

how to make stuffed grape leaves iranian style dolma

In a skillet, fry the onion in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until golden then add in the ground meat and cook until the meat is brown.

Dissolve the tomato paste in half a cup of water and add it to the meat and onion mix; season with black pepper and salt. Stir and leave to boil until the sauce thickens then remove from heat and set aside.

In another skillet, fry the vegetables (parsley, dill, mint, tarragon and spring onions) in vegetable oil until they are soft. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a saucepan, pour 2 cup of water and heat until boiling. Add in the rice and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil again then reduce the heat. When the rice is slightly tender, turn off the heat, drain any remaining water and leave to cool.

Boil the vine leaves in salted water for 2 minutes until they start to soften. Remove from heat, drain, and leave to cool.

In a small bowl, make a sauce by mixing the lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper together.

To make the stuffing, combine the rice with the meat mixture and the fried vegetables. Then pour half of the lime juice sauce and mix well.

In a cooking pot, put 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and spread 3 layers of vine leaves to cover the bottom of the pot.

To make the dolmeh, take a vine leaf, and place a tablespoon (depending on the size of the leaf) of stuffing in the middle and roll the leaf tightly around it. Repeat for the remaining stuffing and vine leaves.

Arrange the dolme in the cooking pot in layers on top of each other without leaving any space between them.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and ½ cup of warm water to the pot and simmer on low heat with the lid on, for about 30 minutes. Add more hot water if needed.

Before turning off the heat, pour the remaining lime juice sauce and cook for a few more minutes then remove from heat.