Dolma

6 servings

60 minutes

Dolma is an eastern cabbage roll, only instead of cabbage, the minced meat is wrapped in grape leaves. It is also the most festive dish of Armenia. There are many secrets that make this dish the most delicious, but one of them is very important - the grape leaves must be young and fresh, otherwise no matter how much you cook them, they will still be tough. Dolma is served with matsoni sauce, a traditional Armenian fermented milk drink. This sauce is very easy to prepare: mix 250 ml of matsoni with a clove of crushed garlic.

Energy value per serving

• Calories: 724.8
• Proteins: 38.9g
• Fats: 49.3g
• Carbohydrates: 26.9g

Ingredients

• Fresh cilantro (coriander): 100 g
• Beef tenderloin: 1 kg
• Basmati rice: 100 g
• Tomatoes: 100 g
• Sweet pepper: 150 g
• Grape leaves: 500 g
• Onion: 300 g
• Butter: 150 g
• Dried basil: 2 tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Ground paprika: to taste
• Ground black pepper: to taste

Cooking steps

1. Prepare vegetables, meat, and herbs: cut the onion into four parts, peel the tomatoes after blanching them in boiling water, remove seeds from the bell pepper, and clean the meat from membranes. Pour boiling water over grape leaves and let them sit for ten minutes.

   Required ingredients:

   • Onion: 300 g
   • Tomatoes: 100 g
   • Sweet pepper: 150 g
   • Beef tenderloin: 1 kg
   • Grape leaves: 500 g

2. Pass meat, vegetables, greens, and butter through a meat grinder. Mix the minced meat thoroughly, add salt, pepper, generously season with dried basil, and add a pinch of paprika. Add the rice raw and mix again.

   Required ingredients:

   • Beef tenderloin: 1 kg
   • Onion: 300 g
   • Tomatoes: 100 g
   • Sweet pepper: 150 g
   • Butter: 150 g
   • Dried basil: 2 tablespoons
   • Salt:  to taste
   • Ground paprika:  to taste
   • Ground black pepper:  to taste
   • Basmati rice: 100 g

3. Carefully separate the leaves without damaging them and cut off the stiff tails. Lay the leaves glossy side down with the veins up. Choose leaves of the same size—set aside the larger ones as they will be needed later. Place a ball of filling the size of a walnut on each leaf. Wrap tightly but not too tightly to prevent the cooked rice from tearing the leaves.

   Required ingredients:

   • Grape leaves: 500 g
   • Beef tenderloin: 1 kg

4. Place the reserved leaves at the bottom of the pot. Arrange the dolma in tight rows, but do not pack it down. Pour in water so that it does not cover the top row (broth can be used instead of water). Press the dolma down with a plate to ensure the rice cooks evenly. Put it on the heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer for about forty minutes.

   Required ingredients:

   • Grape leaves: 500 g

5. Place the finished dolma on plates (ten to twelve pieces per serving) and drizzle with matsoni sauce. Serve the sauce separately in a sauceboat.