Georgian-style stuffed cabbage rolls
Description
An unusual dish — Georgian-style stuffed cabbage rolls made at home, commonly known as "dolma." It is served both at festive tables and simply for lunch. The unique idea of wrapping meat filling with grain in grape leaves came to one cook many years ago. The taste of these cabbage rolls is amazing, but spices also play a significant role in creating this flavor.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
1. If you use ready-made minced meat for this dish, that's fine, but it's better to make it yourself. Traditionally, lamb is used for dolma.
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Step 2
2. Cut the meat into pieces and chop it as finely as possible with a knife. Meanwhile, cook the rice and let it cool. If the lamb is too lean, add a little pork fat or tail fat.
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Step 3
3. Now the most important part – the grape leaves. In countries where dolma is a traditional dish, grape leaves are always prepared and stored in advance. That's what I did too. In summer, I wash them, stack them one by one, wrap them up, and put them in the freezer. The peculiarity of these leaves is that they need to be slightly frozen or marinated before starting the cooking process.
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Step 4
4. Mix the rice with the chopped meat and add salt and spices to taste. Coriander, cilantro, tarragon, and pepper blends are excellent for this dish.
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Step 5
5. Now we can stuff each leaf with the prepared filling. Roll them up like cabbage rolls, forming a parcel.
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Step 6
6. Prepare the sauce separately: mash the garlic, mint, and salt in a mortar. Let it sit for a while to infuse, while you continue stuffing the dolma.
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Step 7
7. Then add the prepared sauce to the dolma, pour in a little water, and simmer. The grape leaves will release their juice, and the stuffed rolls will braise in their own juice with the spices.
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Step 8
8. Simmer until done and serve with sauce and sour cream.