Dolmas are a healthy and delicious finger food to take to a picnic or to add to a collection of mezedhes spread around the table.
Table Of Contents
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
Dolmeh’ye Barge’e Mo
Warak Dawali
Dolmeh Barg
Persian Dolmeh Bargeh Mo
Dolmeh Barge Mo
Eggplant Dolmeh-Ye Bademjan
Persian Stuffed Bell Peppers
Mahshi Warak Enab
10 Dolmas Recipes to Complete Your Meze
They’re popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, as well as in Turkey and Greece. As is the way with dishes native to a broad area of the world, the name of the dish can vary – so don’t be confused when you see them also referred to as dolmeh or dolmades!
Dolmas means ‘stuffed’, and can mean stuffed grape leaves, stuffed peppers, or stuffed eggplant. Today we’re going to focus on the grape leaf variety, which are rolled and filled with rice and sometimes meat. They go great with other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern staples, like as a baba ganoush accompaniment or side for grilled flatbreads and other meze classics.
I’ve brought together some of the best dolma recipes, with some tips from the makers themselves. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
My mom was adamant on washing the grape leaves very well, separating each leave so it wasn’t to briny and she always made it a point to take off the little stem. My mom likes her grape leaves thinner and longer and I prefer them a bit shorter and fuller. Either way, have fun with it and make them with a group of people, it’s more fun and less work!
Dolmeh’ye Barge’e Mo
These Persian dolma means ‘stuffed thing’, usually hollowed vegetables or fruits. Stuffing wrapped leaves such as grape leaves or cabbage leaves are called sarma, although no distinction is made and all stuffed foods are now called dolma/dolmeh. Dolmeh stuffing are made with meat or meatless. For meatless version, raisins, currants, nuts and legumes are added.
Warak Dawali
Warak Dawali is one of my favorite dishes because it has a complex blend of flavors that mesh together so well. If you’re unfamiliar with it, this Nepalese delicacy consists of rice, pork or beef, garlic, and spices wrapped in grape leaves which are then slowly cooked alongside lamb or stuffed tomatoes for hours until everything has melted together into a savory sauce.
This dish usually calls for Mediterranean squash which can be hard to find in stores but you might strike lucky at an international grocery store.
Make sure you don’t roll the leaves too tight. There has to be enough room for the rice to cook and expand.
This is a vegetarian Azeri Persian recipe for stuffed grape leaves, or dolmeh barg. Place the fresh or pickled grape leaf with the smooth side down on a plate. Place a spoonful of the filling of grains, split peas, fresh herbs, and spices in the center of the leaf. Fold the 4 corners of the leaf up and overlap to cover the filling tightly. Arrange the stuffed dolmeh folded side down in the bottom of a nonstick pot without leaving any space between them.
Persian Meat & Pomegranate Dolmeh
The main tip I can give with rolling out the dolmeh is to resist the temptation to overstuff (use too much filling). You also want to tug the leaf and stretch it a little bit, but not too much to tear the leaf. It takes some practice, but easy to figure out. You can also stuff cabbage leaves, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions.. lots of options!
Persian Dolmeh Bargeh Mo
These stuffed grape leaves are so freakin’ delicious you won’t be able to resist licking your fingers/bowl/spoon/pot etc etc throughout the entire cooking process. Although a tad time consuming, they’re fairy easy to make and truly worth every ounce of effort – healthy and seriously satisfying.
Dolmeh Barge Mo
When you are ready to wrap these dolmeh, it’s often easiest to make a big line on your counter and do a bunch one after the other as you then get in the swing of things and you can place them in next to each other in your pan as they are done so they hold together better than if you do one at a time.
Eggplant Dolmeh-Ye Bademjan
Whilst the word ‘dolmeh’ applies to any kind of stuffed vegetable or even grape leaves, I’ve taken the stuffed eggplant and given it a slightly different look. Rather than hollow it out, cut deeply into it and stuff these slashes with the meat filling. What makes it truly delicious is the baharat spice mix I’ve used, as well as that hint of garlic and flavourful crumbled cheese.
Persian Stuffed Bell Peppers
Set aside a Sunday afternoon to make this classic Persian dish and you will be rewarded with an amazing smelling kitchen and a wonderful meal at the end. Dolmeh Felfel is stuffed peppers filled with a flavorful mixture of beef, rice, lentils and herbs simmered in an addictive saffron-lime sauce.
Mahshi Warak Enab
When rolling these stuffed leaves, roll them very tightly and pack them in the cooking pot tightly as well. If they’re too large or rolled loosely they may likely break open during cooking.
The tangier, the better. Be generous with the lemon juice! For best results, use freshly picked grape leaves. If not available, look for canned grape leaves with the least amount of preservatives
Dolma (Turkish for "stuffed") is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Turkish or Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside a vegetable or a leaf wrapping.
When cooking, it's important to use the correct ingredients, which is why many people ask, which grape varieties are best for making dolmades? The Sultana grape, also known as the Thompson seedless, is best grape variety with edible leaves used in making dolmades.
Dolmas or dolmades are very versatile; they can be eaten cold or warm. Traditionally dolmas containing meat are eaten warm with a yogurt sauce that is lightly flavored with garlic. Rice filled dolmas are served cold with a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil.
Dolma is a stuffed vegetable dish that has so many variations across the Middle East, Turkey, the Balkans, and Central Asia. Although the word itself is of Turkish origin, dolma has been part of Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries and found in Arabic cookbooks pre-ottoman era.
This is the most common and original dolma variety. It is prepared in Turkey, Greece, Iran, Syria, Armenia, Israel and Egypt. As the name suggests, cooks stuff minced meat seasoned with local spices and herbs into young vine leaves to make the Dolma.
Dolmades are a food you will find in many variations in every area of Greece and in every season. The name 'dolma' has been borrowed by the Greeks from the Turks, however the food itself stems from ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, dolmades were called 'Thria' -Θρία- and were made with tender fig leaves!
Savor a taste of the Mediterranean with Dolmas (aka stuffed grape leaves). Derived from the Turkish word “dolmak,” meaning “to stuff,” Dolmas are tender Sultana grape leaves hand-wrapped around a filling of whole grain rice, onions, mint, dill, and just a hint of lemon.
Dolma is a healthful choice for several reasons, aligning closely with the principles of the Mediterranean diet, known for its heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory properties. Firstly, the primary ingredient, grape leaves, is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as a good source of fiber and antioxidants.
The filling can vary, altering their fat and calorie contents. Overall, grape leaves are both low in calories and high in fiber. They also have high amounts of vitamin A and vitamin K ( 17 ). Additionally, they have a very high antioxidant content.
However, in English, "dolmas" is often used as a more generic term to refer to stuffed grape leaves from any region, while "dolmades" is specifically used to refer to the Greek version of the dish.
For a full Mediterranean spread, serve the dolmas with Greek yogurt or labne, homemade hummus, baba ganoush, easy lentil soup, a fresh loaf of bread, and a big Greek salad.
India was where they created the now famous 'begun dolma' (stuffed eggplant) and 'pooler dolma' (stuffed pointed gourd). This explains why dolma is found in Greek, Turkey and Iran. In fact, the Turks and Greeks believe that dolma was invented by them, though history narrates a different story.
Dolma is one of the oldest national dishes of Azerbaijan.
The name of the dish, of Turkish origin, indicates the technique of its preparation - filling vegetable, grape, Rumex, hornbeam and quince leaves, or a thin dough layer, with various stuffings. In some regions it is called “sarma”.
But, since these are stuffed grape leaves with meat, you can absolutely serve them warm as the main course with a side of Tzatziki (or plain yogurt) and Greek salad or tabouli! You can also serve them as a next to Zucchini Fritters (Kolokithokeftedes); Greek lamb; grilled lamb chops; roast chicken; or Souvlaki!
Dolma is a healthful choice for several reasons, aligning closely with the principles of the Mediterranean diet, known for its heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory properties. Firstly, the primary ingredient, grape leaves, is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as a good source of fiber and antioxidants.
As a consequence, dolma yalanci are a nutritional alternative for an appetizer or main meal since they are light in calories, fat and salt. Actually, their high content in vegetable fibers, vitamins, metals and antioxidants, contribute to the good function of our body.
What's in stuffed grape leaves? In this recipe, grape leaves are stuffed with a tasty meat and rice mixture, seasoned with warm spices (allspice and cumin) and loaded with fresh herbs in the form of parsley, dill and mint. Then, once stuffed, the grape leaves are cooked in a tasty lemony broth.
Even after being boiled and stored in oil for god knows how long, the grape leaves have a subtle but lingering wine-like taste that muddles into the dill and mint scrap up. Essentially, a dolma is a tiny flavor battlefield where different flavors keep coming out on top.
Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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