Meat and Rice Stuffed Vine Leaves (Etli Sarma)

Another popular Mediterranean dish.

 

Instructions

1. Soak the vine leaves in cold water for 15mins. Drain and rinse them twice in order to get all the salt out. Set aside.

2. Blitz onion, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and olive oil in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine the mixture, meat and rice. Set aside.

3. To roll the vine leaves, place a leaf on a flat plate with the vein side up. Remove the stalk. Place about 1 tbsp of filling (varying with the size of the leaf) in the centre of the leaf, fold in the sides of the leaf, and roll from the bottom to the top. Do not worry about rolling the leaves too tightly as the rice will expand as it cooks.

4. Line the bottom of a pot with unrolled vine leaves. Place the stuffed vine leaves seam side down and tightly together, leaving no gaps between them, so that they do not unravel. When you finish one layer, start a second layer.

5. Pour slightly less than 1 cup of boiling water over into the pot. Do not worry if the water does not cover all the rolls. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30mins, or until there is almost no water left in the pan. Turn the heat off. Keep it covered and let it rest for another 10mins. 

6. Serve warm, with olive oil drizzled on top and Greek yogurt on the side.

Ingredients

• ✅  250g vine leaves
• ✅  500g beef mince
• ✅  1/2 cup rice
• ✅  1 tomatoes
• ✅  1 onion
• ✅  Olive oil
• ✅  1 tsp salt (1.5 salt spoon)
• ✅  Black pepper (to taste)

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