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Yes, I am biased. Persian dolmehs are the best!
The stuffings are more creative and richer in flavor. This dish is loved by many, and as a result of the time involved, people seldom make it. Therefore, it is craved by many!
In Persian/Azerbaijani recipes, common vegetables are stuffed, including: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, quince, onion, and cabbage. Stuffing recipes are similar, with minor adjustments for individual taste. In this post, I am presenting the most commonly known, the grape leave dolmeh.
Again, this is a very time-consuming dish, ~2 hours for preparation and 2 hours for final-stage cooking. Ingredients need not be precisely as I have listed. This is a basic recipe which may be tweaked. In Persian dolmeh recipes, summer-savory is one of the herbs called for. However, I am not keen on dried summer-savory. I may try fresh summer savory if I find it (¼ cup fresh or 1 Tbsp dried). Many don’t use cilantro or turmeric for dolmeh and I have, as I love them. Experiment and have fun.
Dolmeh’ye Barge’e Mo / Stuffed Grape Leaves
Served as a main dish, 6~10 pieces per person; as a side dish or appetizer, 2~3 pieces per person. This recipe is for 50~60 dolmehs, which is the typical number of leaves (60+) in a bottle of grape leaves in brine.
–1—
3 cups parsley (1 large bunch) finely chopped
2 cups cilantro (1 large bunch) finely chopped
1 cup scallions (8 small stems) finely chopped
2 Tbsp dried dill
1 Tbsp dried tarragon flakes
1 Tbsp dried mint flakes
1 tsp salt
- Prepare herbs and place in a big bowl. Don’t add salt yet.
–2—
2/3 cup basmati rice, 2 cups water, ½ tsp salt
- Combine ingredients and bring to a boil on high. Lower heat to medium and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
–3—
5 Tbsp yellow split peas (slow cook kind), 2 cups water, ½ tsp salt
(Non ‘slow cook’ yellow split peas cook very fast and fall apart.)
- Combine ingredients and bring to a boil on high (scoop out the foam). Lower heat to medium and boil for 25 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
–4—
1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
½ lb ground beef (lamb or turkey)
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup hot water
- Use medium-size frying pan, add oil and chopped onion. Sauté at medium heat until edges begin to brown. Add garlic and meat and sauté thoroughly. Add turmeric and hot water and simmer until all water is evaporated. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile:
–5—
50~60 fresh grape leaves or bottled in brine (32 oz/16 oz drained)
- If using fresh grapes, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.
If using grape leaves in brine, drain brine from bottle, empty contents/leaves into large bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Place colander in a sink. Remove leaves, one- by-one, and place on sides of colander in 4 batches; big, thick batch, torn/holes batch, medium size, and small size.
Stuffing:
- Add cooked rice, cooked yellow split peas and cooked meat to the bowl with the herbs, add (1 tsp) salt and mix well.
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Verjuice – Sour Grape Juice
–6—
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup verjuice (unripe grapes) or lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 ½ cups hot water
- On kitchen counter, organize and have a handy assembly of mixed stuffing, cutting board (or large plate) a pair of scissors and a medium pot.
- In a medium size pot, add oil and layer the bottom of the pot with 4~ 5 big, thick grape leaves.
- Starting with the larger leaves, place the grape leaf with its vein side up, cut the ‘petiole’ off, top with one table spoonful stuffing on the leaf and wrap from the ‘petiole’ side. Roll up the leaf, folding in the sides/ends so the stuffing is well sealed in. Place the rolled dolmehs tightly next to each other in the pot.
When all the leaves are rolled and tightly placed in the pot, add the hot water, verjuice and salt. As a weight to hold the dolmehs in place, put a flat plate (big enough to cover as many dolmehs in the pot, and heavier the better) over the dolmehs, up-side down. Put pot’s lid on and simmer at medium-low heat for 2 hours. Periodically check pot to make sure its liquid has not totally evaporated. Add hot water if needed. When it is fully cooked, ½ cup liquid should remain at the bottom of the pot.
Before cooking
After cooking for 2 hours
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Turn off heat and let pot sit for 10 minutes. Remove dolmehs very carefully (by hand or chopsticks). As a main dish, goes well with yogurt.
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OPTIONS:
- For sweet-and-sour taste, replace turmeric with 1 tsp cinnamon and replace verjuice with (a) ½ cup sugar and 1/3 cup vinegar, or (b) mix 3 Tbsp pomegranate sauce with 3 Tbs water.
- For vegetarian, skip the meat (but add caramelized onion and garlic) , incorporate above option for ‘sweet-and-sour’, replace meat with 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts and also 1/3 cup raisins, dried currants or cranberries.
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Noushe jan / Bon Appétit!
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Related Article
Azita of Fig & Quince posted an excellent example of quince dolmeh,
Dolmeh’ye Beh – Stuffed Quince.
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I prefer rolling the grape leaves by hand… but if you are wondering how anyone could roll the dolmas so precisely in one perfect/uniform size, the secret is “The Ultimate Dolma Machine” made in Turkey.
↓ Watch from 3:55 to 4:50 ↓
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Yum! These look delish! I made stuffed grape leaves at a friend’s house when I was growing up and have loved them ever since. I’m adding these to my “To-Do” list. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sandy, Thank you for your kind words. These dolmehs take time to make, but you know how good they are. I love your blog/recipes!!!
Fae.
I love stuffed grape leaves but have never had your version which sounds so much more flavorful than any that I have had previously.
Yes, the array of herbs makes it special.
Fae – This does look like a lot of work, but the end result would be fabulous (I could taste the flavors as I was reading). I love even the simple stuffed grape leaves (rice with currants and spices), so this would be a real treat!
When I see a photo of a food and then read the recipe, like you, I feel the scent and the taste too!
This recipe with lots of herbs gives medley of fresh herb-taste in the mouth, which is heavenly. 
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I thought the peas would add a great flavor as well as serve as a binder.
What an unique food. Interesting.
…and it is very GOOD!
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Grapes..every part of a grape vine..from the leaf to the tiny seed has medicinal value.
Chef Randall
Grape, glorious grapes!
I love them. I know them from Lebanese I grew up with.
Do you recall if they used the same stuffing?
Love even the porcelain dish Fae! It looks like a leaf too
is the Dolmeh also called Warak Areesh?
R
Thank you, Radhika. I checked, and yes, apparently Arabs/Lebanese call it warak-areesh or warak-dawali. The origin of the word ‘dolma’ comes from the Turkish meaning ‘to be stuffed’.
My mother makes these and my grandmother used to. Yours look wonderful!!
Thank you, Cindy. Do your Mom and Grandma have a Greek background?
I’m biased same as you – Persian dolmehs are the best. I haven’t had a bargeh mo dolmeh in forever. Halla havas kardam mesleh chi!!! Awesome post
Thank you, Azita. We had them just few days ago, but reading your comments, manam dobareh havas kardam!
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Totally agree about Persian Dolmeh, they are delicious, saving your recipe. I have never made them before and look forward to trying them soon.
Great! When you do, let me know how you tweaked it and how it turns out.
Fae,
You and Azita have it going beautifully with the elegant, unique, and delicious recipes! I love this recipe. Looks delicious! I love all the ingredients and the optional ones!
You are too kind, Judy.
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Oh, Azita is so talented with her art work, touching/entertaining intimate stories and the animations! I on the other hand, am just trying. The great thing is that together, we are presenting different varieties of culturally rich Persian cuisine/customs.
Fascinating! And who’s the guy in the video?
What an absolutely beautiful dish! I love your flavorsome stuffing with all the herbs. I always took dolme for granted, until I started making my own, and realized how much time, precision, and concentration it required. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you and you are welcome, Darya. Me too! I used to ask my Mom to make dolmehs, and they were ready when I got home from school. Until one day she showed me how to make them. \
/ Wow!