Homemade vegetable dolma in Azerbaijani recipe with step-by-step photos. Step-by-step photo recipe for preparing real Azerbaijani dolma with grape leaves at home Azerbaijan dolma

So, where to start the story about dolma? Probably because dolma exists in traditional cuisine not only Azerbaijan, but also Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Turkey and the Balkan peoples.

The main problem in preparing dolma is finding good grape leaves. Both pickled leaves and fresh ones are used. The main thing is that they are thin and soft. Traditionally, leaves of the Ag Shany and Kara Shany varieties are used.

You will need:

lamb - 1 kg;
fat tail fat (if there is none at all, you can add butter);
grape leaves - 300 g;
round rice - 1 cup;
onion - 5 small onions;
mint - a small bunch;
cilantro/parsley;
salt pepper.

For kitchen utensils, you will need a saucepan and two plates slightly smaller in diameter.

Dolma: photo recipe

1. Make minced meat. Previously, I didn’t really understand why make minced meat yourself if you can buy it. But this really changes the taste, so the game is worth the candle.

Which part of lamb is best for dolma? Of course, the back of the leg is fat-tailed.

In general, we run the lamb through a meat grinder, add finely chopped onions and herbs. The classic Azerbaijani dolma recipe uses cilantro, but if you don't like cilantro, add parsley. Add a little salt. You need to be careful with salt, because the pickled leaves are already salted and all the salt will not be washed out of them.

After kneading the minced meat, pour half a glass of warm water into it and knead. The minced meat for dolma should be fatty and plastic.

Lastly, add washed round rice to the minced meat. If dolma is prepared from other meat (chicken or turkey), then the rice can be slightly simmered.

2. Soak the grape leaves in cold water, rinse them under running water, there should be no white salt coating left on them.

3. Now, place a plate on the bottom of the pan; I used tempered glass - even on the fire it did not burst. But just in case, take the one you don’t mind. This is done so that the dolma does not burn. This will also help you avoid turning the bottom row of dolma into mush.

4. Wrapping dolma is a special art that can only be achieved with experience. I ended up with some squares of different sizes, but it didn’t spoil the taste at all. You need to place the cape on the inside of the sheet. We wrap it before DO NOT pour boiling water over the leaves., as is sometimes recommended. The leaf will instantly give all its flavor to the water.

The classic dolma is wrapped like this:

5. Place dolma in layers on a plate, then pour a glass of water (200 ml) into the pan and press it on top with another plate.

6. Ideally, Azerbaijani dolma is cooked over a fire, then it turns out much tastier. But you can also do it on the stove at medium or low temperature.

Lamb dolma takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Sauce for dolma

Dolma is most often served on a platter, accompanied by broth and sauce made from sour cream and garlic or matsoni with garlic and herbs.

Bon appetit!

Azerbaijani cuisine is famous for many delicious minced meat dishes and vegetables. We have already introduced you to the recipe, and today you will learn another popular dish of oriental cuisine in step by step preparation Vegetable dolmas with photos. This is also simply called “ traffic light», « three sisters», « troika"and, as you understand, it is prepared from three types vegetables - eggplants, bell peppers and tomatoes. Dolma turns out to be very nourishing, tender and incredibly tasty. For minced meat, you need fatty meat, for example, lamb or veal with the addition of fat tail. The choice of vegetables also needs to be taken seriously, for example, it is better to choose large tomatoes, even, medium-sized peppers, and small eggplants. Thanks to the large number of vegetables, the dish turns out juicy, nutritious and healthy, so be sure to try vegetable dolmas.

Ingredients for making vegetable dolma

Tomatoes	3 pcs
Eggplant	2 pcs
Bulgarian pepper	2 pcs
Hot peppers	1 PC
Lamb tenderloin	500 g
Bulb onions	2 pcs
Ghee	140 g
Salt	1 tsp. no slide
Black pepper	taste

Step-by-step preparation of dolma from vegetables with photos

Vegetable dolma is traditionally served with matsoni and garlic sauce. Bon appetit!

What is dolma? The name comes from the Turkish verb "dolmak", which means "to be stuffed". This is a whole group of dishes made from stuffed vegetables or leaves, recipes for which appeared in the kitchens of the former Ottoman Empire and its surroundings.

Today this dish symbolizes Greek and Turkish cuisine, it can also be found in the Balkans, in the Caucasus countries, on the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and Western Mediterranean.

Dolma is widespread in Azerbaijan and Armenia, where it is customary to prepare it with grape or wild mulberry leaves. However, there are recipes with chard leaves, cabbage, artichoke, potatoes, eggplant, onions, zucchini, bell peppers, beets, as well as figs and dried apricots.

Azerbaijani national dish

As noted above, the most famous recipe for dolma in Azerbaijani is using grape leaves. The filling may include meat or vegetables. The meat dish is usually served warm or hot, often with sauce; the vegetarian version is usually eaten cold. Both types are often eaten with yogurt and garlic.

The Azerbaijani dish dolma is not just stuffed grape leaves. To prepare this dish, people also start with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes or cabbage. Traditionally, minced lamb, lamb and/or beef, rice, onions and herbs are used as filling.

The Azerbaijani dolma recipe includes four varieties:

from eggplant,
from sweet pepper,
from tomato,
from grape leaf.

It is impossible to imagine in Azerbaijan festive table without this food. Dolma is so popular that the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism is currently considering including it on the UNESCO list as a culinary tradition of Azerbaijan, which could become a world cultural intangible heritage.

How to cook this dish

Dolma from grape leaves in Azerbaijani style is simply prepared. For it you will need:

500 grams of lamb or beef,
1 onion, finely chopped,
2/3 cup rice,
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
1 small bunch of dill, chopped
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 spoon teaspoon,
1/4 spoon of tea pepper,
65 fresh grape leaves (or canned)
4 tablespoons butter, molten,
1/2 glass of water,
garlic yogurt (1/2 cup plain yogurt mixed with 2 cloves garlic, minced).

Cooking process

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, onion, rice, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and knead vigorously for 5 minutes.

If using fresh grape leaves, rinse 10 in a large saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes. This will soften them and make them easier to roll. Cut off stems and hard parts.

If using canned leaves, place them in a large colander and rinse thoroughly cold water. If they are too thick, blanch them in boiling water just like fresh ones, but only for one minute, then drain.

Place the grape leaf, shiny side down, on a board or in the palm of your hand and place 1 teaspoon of the filling at the base of the stem. Fold the bottom end of the sheet, then the sides over the filling, and roll into a roll. Repeat this with all the leaves. Then place the pieces in a high-rimmed frying pan or saucepan, close to each other. You can layer them if necessary. If using fresh grape leaves, sprinkle a little salt between each layer. Pour melted butter over top and add water.

If necessary, place a small lid or plate over the dolma to hold the items tightly to prevent them from opening. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until leaves are tender.

Azerbaijani dolma recipe: second option

There are many varieties of this dish, including classical types. The recipe below is a denser and fattier dish compared to the first option. For it you will need:

150 grams of grape leaves,
500 grams of minced meat from a mixture of lamb and beef (1:1 ratio),
200 grams of onion,
salt and pepper,
1/2 teaspoon turmeric,
1/2 spoon of tea cinnamon,
fresh herbs - coriander, dill, mint and tarragon,
50 grams of short grain rice,
50 grams of chickpeas,
80 grams of lamb fat.

How to do it?

How to prepare Azerbaijani dolma this way? Remove the fat from the refrigerator until it is soft enough.

If using fresh herbs, rinse them and chop them finely. Wash the rice, but do not cook it in advance. In turn, the chickpeas need to be boiled first, then cut each pea into two halves.

Mix the ground meat and chopped onion with your hands. Add rice, chopped herbs and dried spices, salt and pepper, chickpeas and fat. Mix thoroughly.

If using fresh grape leaves, wash and dry them. If you use canned ones, place them in large bowl, add hot water and leave for 2-3 minutes to soften. Strain the leaves.

Take a sheet, place a piece of minced meat in the middle and fold the corners down, then lift it up and roll it into a ball. Repeat this with each sheet.

Place the dolma in a thick-bottomed pan. Place an upside-down dessert plate or saucer on top of the pieces and place a heavy object, such as a rock, on top. This helps stop the dolma from unraveling during cooking. Add water to the pan according to the level of the product.

Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for one to one and a half hours until the meat and rice are cooked. To check if there is enough salt and seasoning during cooking, dip a piece of bread into the liquid in the pan and taste.

The dish is served with yogurt mixed with finely chopped garlic and fresh bread.

Vegetable dolma in Azerbaijani style

Sometimes meat is not used and cabbage or grape leaves are filled with vegetable filling. This dish is called “naked dolma”. To make it, you will need:

200 grams of rice,
4 onions,
grape leaves,
200 grams of chestnuts,
120 grams of butter,
200 grams of tomatoes or 1 tablespoon of tomato paste,
80 grams or 1 bunch of coriander,
200 grams of yogurt,
4-5 cloves of garlic,
cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Summer dolma in Azerbaijani is prepared as follows. Chop the onions and herbs. Wash the rice. Add peeled and chopped chestnuts, tomatoes (tomato paste), oil, pepper and salt. Onion, herbs and rice and mix well. Steep the grape leaves in boiling water, remove the stems and wrap each one around a lump of filling in a square shape. Place dolma in a saucepan, add water, cover with a plate and simmer for 1 hour.

Serve this dish sprinkled with cinnamon, along with yogurt mixed with finely chopped garlic.

Option with fish

An Azerbaijani dolma recipe may involve the use of not only meat and vegetables, but also fish. For this dish you will need:

400 grams of fillet of any fish,
40 grams of onion,
180 grams of grape leaves,
80 grams of coriander,
200 grams of yogurt,
salt and pepper.

Clean and chop the fish (preferably omul or pike perch), then mix with salt, pepper, finely chopped onion and coriander. Remove the stems from the grape leaves and soak them in hot water for a minute. Wrap about 25-30 grams of filling in each leaf and place in the pan. Pour in the broth made from fish heads and fins and simmer until done. Serve with yogurt in a separate bowl.

In the melon, eggplants and tomatoes have ripened under the sun, it’s time to cook dolma - one of the most delicious dishes oriental cuisine. Why eastern? But because in one form or another, in many cuisines of eastern countries there are dishes where seasonal vegetables are stuffed with minced meat.

The word “dolma” itself is of Turkic origin and translated from Azerbaijani means “filled”, “stuffed”. Prepared vegetables (more on this below) are stuffed with meat filling, generously seasoned with spices and fresh herbs and simmered over medium heat until tender.

Now let's talk about the nuances of the Azerbaijani dolma. Although there will be a lot of writing, don’t be alarmed, preparing this dish is actually not that difficult.

The first thing you need to prepare dolma is... Time. Yes, yes, dolma is a multi-step and time-consuming dish. Do you have time?))

Meat. For the filling, it is advisable to take fatty meat, that is, lamb. This is customary in classic Azerbaijani cuisine. But, if for some reason you don’t want to cook with lamb, then you can take beef and a little lamb tail. But if fat tail is not available, then you need to put a good portion of butter into the minced meat during frying ( good quality and certainly not margarine!). It is fat that makes the minced meat tender and juicy; without it, the filling will be hard and grainy, and this should not happen in dolma. The dolma filling should melt in your mouth.

Spices. In the classic version, turmeric and ground black pepper are added to the minced meat. Some families also add ground cinnamon, but this is not for everyone! If you are not familiar with the customs of oriental seasonings, then it is better not to risk it! One careless movement, one extra pinch and the taste of the spice will overwhelm the taste of the meat and the dish can no longer be saved.

By the way, dolma can be prepared without meat, vegetarian. If you are interested in details, please ask.

Vegetables. We choose small, medium-sized and hard vegetables, not overripe, otherwise during cooking they will quickly boil and lose their shape. It is advisable to choose dark eggplants for dolma, black or dark blue. But in principle this does not matter. In many families, the core (but not the pulp!) of the eggplant is removed, chopped and added to the minced meat. I don’t do this, because my family loves eggplants very much. Eggplants are tougher than other vegetables, so they need to be pre-processed. You can simply salt it heavily until half cooked. To do this, put salt and eggplants in boiling water (cut off the stem and make a longitudinal cut, “rip open the belly”, I showed this in the steps) and boil until half cooked (do not boil too much, they will still be cooked with the filling). Then remove them from the water and place under running cold water to stop cooking and allow the vegetables to cool. Then squeeze lightly to remove bitterness and excess moisture. This is one way. There is another way, which I showed in steps. Choose tomatoes that are strong and small. Also bell peppers choose a small size, small ones look neater in the finished dish.

Rice. Round rice is also placed in the minced meat. Round, but not large (like arborio), but small. I pre-soak it in warm water so that he can get ready faster.

Dishes. We choose cooking utensils with a thick bottom and low walls. This could be a wide frying pan for example. And size is very important. The dishes must be taken in such a size that all the stuffed vegetables fit in it and there is no free space left. Then the vegetables will not lose their shape much during cooking. For example, I have had a trained eye over the years, and I know perfectly well which amount of vegetables my dishes are suitable for. Here I will give you one piece of advice: if there is still room in the dish and the filling is already over, then place the tomatoes next to the stuffed vegetables. You don’t even need to remove the pulp from them; during the cooking process they will absorb all the juices and aromas of their “neighbors”.

Well, it seems I wrote everything. Oh yes, I forgot about the greens.

Greenery. Mint must be put into the minced meat - whether dry or fresh, it doesn’t matter, but it is mint that is required in this dish! Without mint, dolma is not dolma! Again, this is a classic. But you can also put a little dill and basil in the minced meat; this will not spoil the taste, but mint, of course, should dominate. That's all! In some cookbooks of Azerbaijani cuisine, cilantro is also indicated, but I think this is a matter of taste. I'm not adding. What is not added to minced meat is parsley! Parsley is already an Iranian, Persian dolma, but that’s a completely different story... Who wants a recipe for Iranian eggplant dolma?

The peoples of Asia Minor have long been famous for the diversity of their cuisine. One of the most striking dishes is dolma, which classical technology is a grape leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat.

In our understanding, these are cabbage rolls, in which grape leaves are used instead of cabbage. The dish is extremely tasty and, rest assured, is worth the effort spent on preparing it.

History of the dish

Dolma is extremely common in the cuisines of the peoples of Transcaucasia, Central and Western Asia, the Balkan Peninsula and even North Africa. All national cuisines have their own special technology for preparing dishes and each of them is special in its own way.

The dish belongs to Armenian cuisine, which has long been famous for its best recipes.

The Armenian people claim that they were the discoverers of dolma, and only later, the dish became popular in other national cuisines.

According to the Armenians, this food was extremely common in the court cuisine of the Ottoman Empire; this is not strange, because the recipe is distinguished by its taste and originality.

The benefits and harms of dolma

Grape leaves are widely used in medicine; they are rich in a huge amount of vitamins, microelements, and nutrients, so their benefits are undeniable. With regular consumption of dishes based on grape leaves, you can get rid of many ailments, such as migraines, varicose veins.

They are also useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. Grape leaves strengthen the immune system and are a natural elixir of youth.

However, people suffering from excess weight Those with ulcers or diabetics are not recommended to eat dishes made from grape leaves. Because, in this case, dolma will harm the body. In any case, you should consult your doctor.

Difficulty and cooking time

Dolma is a rather complex dish, because it involves 4 stages of preparation: preparing the leaves, preparing the filling, wrapping the filling in the leaves and directly stewing.

Taking this into account, we can say that it takes at least two hours to prepare dolma. But the housewife can be sure that the time and labor spent is worth it. The taste of the dish is spicy and refined at the same time.

Food preparation

The most important step in preparing food is finding the right grape leaves. It is best to buy them salted, but since the leaves are folded, the housewife cannot be sure of their integrity. Before use, such envelopes need to be doused with boiling water to soften the leaves a little.

If fresh leaves are purchased, they must be soaked in salt water for at least 20 minutes and be sure to cut the cuttings from each leaf so that they curl more easily.

How to cook dolma

A classic and simple recipe for cabbage rolls in grape leaves.

Ingredients:

grape leaves - approximately 100 pcs;
pork – 1 kg;
optional bones for broth;
round rice - ½ cup;
onion – 4 heads;
Sunflower oil – 50 g;
a pinch of salt;
ground black pepper – 1 tsp;
coriander – ½ teaspoon;
cilantro - a bunch;
parsley - a bunch;
tarragon - smaller than a bunch.

This quantity of products is designed for approximately 20 servings.

Preparation:

The bones need to be fried until an appetizing golden brown crust appears. Fill with water and cook the aromatic broth for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In classical technology, pork should be minced. Cut two onions into large cubes and fry in sunflower oil. Mix with meat, add rice, chopped herbs, seasonings and mix thoroughly.

The most aesthetically important part of preparing a dish is wrapping the envelopes. The filling should be applied to the dull part of the grape leaves. Then, we fold the leaves on the sides and roll them into a tube.

Now you need to fold the dolma into the pan with the seams down. Pour broth around the edge of the pan and simmer for about an hour.

Approximately, one serving of dolma - 150 grams, contains 60 kcal, which is calculated as 55% fat, 30% protein and 15% carbohydrates. However, the dish is healthy and incredibly tasty.

Cooking options

Since several nations are fighting for the right to be called the discoverers of this dish, there are also several options for preparing the dish: Armenian, Azerbaijani and Moldavian technology.

Dolma can also be prepared from pickled grape leaves in a slow cooker. Each of the recipes is unique and has its own unique taste.

Dolma in pickled grape leaves

Ingredients:

50 pickled grape leaves;
5 kg minced lamb;
5 liters of meat broth;
6 tablespoons of coarse grain rice;
5 onions;
50 grams of butter;
50 ml vegetable oil;
aromatic herbs: dill, parsley, cumin;
spices: salt, ground pepper.

Preparation:

If the meat is on the bones, then you need to separate the pulp from the bones, cook the broth on them, and grind the meat using a meat grinder or blender. Otherwise, you can use any meat broth.

Pour boiling water over the rice and cover with a lid to steam a little. After 10-15 minutes, strain and add to the meat.

Peel the onion, wash it to remove any remaining dirt and cut it into cubes. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion in a mixture of oils until golden brown. Add to the filling.

Fresh greens must be washed under running water and finely chopped. Pour into the filling along with the spices and mix thoroughly.

Place the grape leaves on the work surface so that the smooth side is down. Place the filling in the center of the sheet and wrap it in an envelope.

Place the dolma in a thick-bottomed pan, seam side down, add broth, cover with a lid and simmer for about an hour. Then the filling will be tender, and the taste of the dish will amaze your guests.

Delicious Armenian dolma with beef

Ingredients:

1 kg beef;
½ cup rice;
tomato;
bell pepper;
50 grape leaves;
2 onions;
a bunch of parsley;
spices: basil, ground pepper, paprika, salt.

Preparation:

Scald the grape leaves with boiling water, wash them, cut off the veins. Wash the rice thoroughly too.

We wash the vegetables and parsley, remove the skin from the tomato. We chop the parsley, and pass all the vegetables, rice and meat through a meat grinder, add spices and mix.

Place the filling on the leaves, wrap the envelopes and simmer over low heat for at least 50 minutes.

Dolma with vegetables and seasonings will surprise you with its taste.

Azerbaijani dolma with lamb

Ingredients:

lamb – 0.5 kg;
grape leaves – 20-30 pcs;
round rice – 5 tbsp. spoon;
eggs – 2 pcs;
onion – 2 pcs;
greens: cilantro, mint;
spices: salt, ground pepper.

Preparation:

We clean the meat from the veins and grind it. Chop the greens and onions, add to the meat, beat the eggs, add pre-washed rice and spices, mix.

We wrap the filling in leaves, forming envelopes, put the dolma in a pan and simmer for at least an hour.

This technology for preparing dolma is that the filling using an egg is more tender and does not crumble. The dish will certainly surprise the hostess's family.

Moldavian dolma

Ingredients:

30 grape leaves;
½ kg of meat (lamb, pork, beef);
3 onions;
50 ml sunflower oil;
1/3 cup rice;
2 tablespoons of tomato paste;
1 carrot root;
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Grind the meat, cut the onions and carrots into cubes and simmer it all in sunflower oil until golden brown.

Wash the rice, add it to the meat and simmer for another 10 minutes. tomato paste. When the filling has cooled, add chopped herbs, spices and mix.

We lay out the leaves with the smooth surface down, add the aromatic filling, wrap them in envelopes and simmer for about 40 minutes. Incredible Moldavian dolma will surprise you with its spicy taste.

Recipe in a slow cooker

Ingredients:

5 kg minced meat;
20 grape leaves;
1 onion;
4 tbsp. spoons of rice;
50 g butter;
50 grams of sunflower oil;
1 bunch of greens;
salt and spices to taste.

Preparation:

We wash the rice. Turn on the multicooker, pour vegetable oil and in the “frying” mode, fry the chopped onion until golden brown.

In a small bowl, mix minced meat, fried onions, rice, spices, chopped herbs and butter.

Place the filling on pre-prepared leaves, form envelopes and carefully place them in the slow cooker, seam side down. Fill with hot water to cover the envelopes and turn on the “quenching” mode for 1 hour.

Cooking dolma in a slow cooker is easy and simple, and most importantly, delicious.

Video recipe

There are several main secrets:

To prevent the dish from burning, place grape leaves on the bottom of the pan or multicooker.
We fold the envelopes with the seams down so that they do not unfold during the stewing process.
When all the envelopes are placed in the pan, it is best to secure them by pressing them with a plate. In this case, during the boiling process the filling will not come out of the envelopes.

Dolma is considered one of the simplest and delicious recipes In the world, only young leaves are good for cooking. Then the dolma turns out tender and melts in your mouth. This dish is suitable for every day and for the holiday table.