Middle Eastern Dolma Recipe
Tasty, Little Pockets of Vegetables, Meat and Rice
Dolmas are a Perfect Way to Use the Summer Harvest.
When the summer vegetables begin to come in fast and thick, thoughts in many Middle Eastern kitchens turn to dolma. Dolmas are neat little packets of stuffed squash, tomatoes peppers, onions or eggplants. They figure prominently on the Middle Eastern late summer/early fall table – although the smart cook will make and freeze them for meals all winter long.
The stuffing is traditionally made of a spicy ground lamb and rice mixture, but recipes may vary from region to region, country to county…and even from cook to cook. Here is a basic one:
Dolma Recipe:
Basic Dolma Mixture Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground lamb (Beef may be substituted, or you can also mix lamb and beef together)
- ¼ lb white rice (you may also use basmati or bulgur wheat – but do not use brown rice for this recipe).
- 2 medium onions, chopped very fine
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- ¼ cup of parsley, chopped fine
- About 1 – 2 tablespoons of Chaimen (to taste)
You will also need:
- Assorted small vegetables for stuffing (green and yellow squashes, small eggplants, firm tomatoes, yellow, red and/green sweet peppers, small to medium-sized onions). You want each dolma to be about 3 – 4 inches long (for squashes and eggplants). If you have larger vegetables, you may cut them in half and stuff each end, however.
- Some lemon juice for the steaming process (about ¼ cup)
- Some cabbage, grape or other sturdy green leaves to line the pot with – to be discarded after cooking.
Directions:
- Mix the Dolma stuffing mixture and let it marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours – overnight is best.
- With a table spoon and a sharp peeling knife, carefully cut and scoop out the insides of the vegetables to form nice cavities for the stuffing – set aside theses insides (except the peppers) for a healthy, light soup.
- Fill each dolma about 2/3 full with the stuffing mixture.
- Take a covered pot and line it well with the cabbage or other greens.
- Pour about 3 cups of water and the lemon juice into the bottom.
- Place each dolma into the pot, standing upright to form a single layer on top of the greens. The dolmas may be lightly touching, but do not crowd them together, as when the rice cooks, they will expand a bit.
- As one layer fills, place a loose layer of greens on top and add another layer – and so on, until you have used all the vegetables. Put the strongest vegetables – such as the onions or the eggplants on the bottom and the most tender (tomatoes) on the top.
- Cover the top layer with another layer of greens, cover the pot and place on top of the stove over a low to medium heat. If the water is absorbed, gently add more.
- Steam lightly until the rice and meat has been cooked and the vegetables are tender.
- Take off the heat and let the entire pot sit covered for at least a half hour before uncovered.
Plate and serve, with a dollop of cold, plain yogurt on the side.
The copyright of the article Middle Eastern Dolma Recipe in Middle Eastern Cuisine is owned by Debbie Kwiatoski. Permission to republish Middle Eastern Dolma Recipe must be granted by the author in writing.
