Recipe: rice dolmas
Sep. 27th, 2015 21:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillAkien has a nice recipe for lamb dolmas, but many times I don't want to go through the hassle of cooking them... and I have a soft spot for the vegetarian dolmas common at Mediterranean restaurants. So I decided to look up a recipe for them.
Holy cow, said I, these recipes look like a skill test for prospective daughters-in-law (rolling raw rice into grape leaves so that they hold together *and* don't burst open when cooked?) The single time I tried it all I got was a royal mess. I thought, there has to be an easier way to make this tasty food... so I set out to find one. Borrowing heavily from my basic understanding of sushi, I found a method I'm happy with.
Here it is.
Vegetarian Dolmas
(makes about 40)
2 cups short-grain rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp spearmint (dried or chiffonade)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 average)
1 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 pound preserved grape leaves
olive oil
Cook the rice in the water (it should take 15-20 minutes) and allow it to cool. Mix it thoroughly with the mint, garlic, lemon, and spices. Roll about 1 1/2 Tbsp rice mixture in each grape leaf (like a burrito) and stack into a large loaf pan. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Refrigerate overnight.
You'll find it takes between an hour and an hour and a half to roll these, depending on how practiced you are; break out some favorite TV to watch while you work. Also handy: a little dish of water to wet your fingers, especially if the rice is sticky.
Holy cow, said I, these recipes look like a skill test for prospective daughters-in-law (rolling raw rice into grape leaves so that they hold together *and* don't burst open when cooked?) The single time I tried it all I got was a royal mess. I thought, there has to be an easier way to make this tasty food... so I set out to find one. Borrowing heavily from my basic understanding of sushi, I found a method I'm happy with.
Here it is.
Vegetarian Dolmas
(makes about 40)
2 cups short-grain rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp spearmint (dried or chiffonade)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 average)
1 Tbsp lemon zest (optional)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 pound preserved grape leaves
olive oil
Cook the rice in the water (it should take 15-20 minutes) and allow it to cool. Mix it thoroughly with the mint, garlic, lemon, and spices. Roll about 1 1/2 Tbsp rice mixture in each grape leaf (like a burrito) and stack into a large loaf pan. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Refrigerate overnight.
You'll find it takes between an hour and an hour and a half to roll these, depending on how practiced you are; break out some favorite TV to watch while you work. Also handy: a little dish of water to wet your fingers, especially if the rice is sticky.
