Turkish recipe - Yaprak Sarmasi

 Yaprak Sarmasi AKA Dolma is one of my families favourite dishes. My rendition is taken from the Turkish cuisine and I've followed my mum's recipe. For our version, we aren't using any mince and keeping it vegetarian (which is quite rare).

Things you will need:

Ingredients:
- Vine leaves (we got ours fresh from our garden)
- White rice
- Bulgur wheat
- Pomegranate molasses
- Tomato paste
- Mint
- Onion (1x)
- Powdered black pepper
- Red pimento powder
- Green pepper (2x)
- Coriander
- Tomato (1x)
- Lemon (1x)
- Salt

Further things:
- Stockpot (x2), pan
- Boiling water
- (optional) Clay cooking pot with holes

Wash your pepper, tomato and coriander.

Soak your leaves in water for a few minutes.

Put water to boil in a stockpot, then add your leaves and wait till they become a light green/yellow colour.











Remove from stockpot to rinse and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Now, back to the vegetables and onto the filling. Chop your vegetables into thin slices.
Wipe olive pomace oil onto a pan with kitchen roll.
Add your chopped onions then a pinch of salt.
Add your chopped pepper, and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
Stir well and then add your white rice (up to you how many glasses of rice you use, but typically 1 or 2 is recommended to feed a small number of people).
Add bulgur wheat (half a glass).

Add red pimento powder (1 teaspoon)

Add powdered black pepper (1 teaspoon)

Add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses.

Then, add a tablespoon of olive oil and hot water to fill up half of your pan.

On a plate pour hot water over your tomatoes, wait for a bit then start poking your tomatoes with a fork and start peeling. (This method makes peeling a lot easier).

Add chopped peppers and coriander.

Stir well and squeeze half a lemon then add your peeled tomatoes.

This is what the end result of your filling should look like.

In another stockpot fill the bottom with a few leaves (they don't have to be cooked).

Now's the slightly tricky part which is the rolling of the leaf into that signature cigarette shape.

Step 1: lay out your boiled leaf from earlier similar to what you see in the image. (make sure you have the correct side facing you)

 Step 2: Add a line of your filling mixture, the thinner it is the easier it will be to roll.

Step 3: Fold both corners inwards.

Step 4: Fold upwards from the bottom then tuck it in slightly.

Step 5: Roll north till you get this shape. (It might take a few attempts to get it nice and thin or thick if you prefer it that way).

By now you should've started filling your stockpot. Aim to fill to the top till you're out of leaves or filling.

Finish by adding your clay cooking pot on top of your leaves. Then fill your pan up with hot water till it reaches the clay cooking pot.
Place the lid on the stockpot and let it cook on medium heat for 1 hour.

This is what it should hopefully look like. I hope this recipe has proven that it's not too difficult to make and if you're hoping to surprise your friends and family with a new recipe then you should definitely give this a try. It is usually served with more oil and Turkish yoghurt. All the ingredients you should be able to find in a nearby supermarket if not then have a look at Turkish supermarkets.

Thank you for reading, and make sure to leave a comment if you've tried this recipe.