Vegan dolma
Description
The dish is prepared without unnecessary complications. Dolma is a relative of our stuffed cabbage rolls. Of course, there are differences: dolma is wrapped in grape leaves, and the filling includes plenty of aromatic herbs. Since nowadays all nationalities have mixed together, and our neighbors include Armenians, Tatars, Ukrainians, and Kazakhs, we cook a variety of dishes. And so dolma has become popular. There's no problem with grape leaves at any time of year: fresh ones are available in summer, and pickled ones can be bought in winter (unless you've preserved them yourself). Usually, dolma is made with meat, but there are also vegetarian versions of this dish. In this recipe, I will tell you how to prepare it. The finished dish can be served at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Place the washed fresh grape leaves into a bowl and pour boiling water over them. If you have fermented leaves, do not pour boiling water over them; simply rinse them under cold water.
- 2
Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, sauté finely chopped onion in it for just 1-2 minutes.
- 3
Step 3
Add the finely chopped mushrooms to the onions. Mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
Chop the nuts and add them to the pan with the onion and mushrooms; sauté for a minute.
- 5
Step 5
Pour boiling water over the tomato, remove its skin, then cut it into small cubes. Add to the skillet with the onions, mushrooms, and nuts, and fry for another minute or minute and a half.
- 6
Step 6
Now rinse the rice, add it to the skillet. Mix and fry until no liquid remains in the skillet.
- 7
Step 7
Remove the pan from the heat, add spices, salt, and finely chopped mint leaves. Mix well.
- 8
Step 8
Place the grape leaf with the rough side facing up, then put the filling on top. They say that if you place the filling on the glossy side, it will be harder to roll. For me, it rolled up well either way.
- 9
Step 9
We start rolling, almost like cabbage rolls. First, fold the bottom edge of the leaf, then tuck in the sides, and roll it up.
- 10
Step 10
Place grape leaves at the bottom of the pot in which the dolma will be cooked.
- 11
Step 11
Then we place the rolled dolma.
- 12
Step 12
Line the top with leaves and place a plate on top to prevent the items from floating during cooking. Pour in about 2 cups of slightly salted water, add the juice of half a lemon and 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour after boiling.