Etli dolma (eht-lee dohl-mah) is a delicious dish of stuffed vine leaves with a minced beef, tomato, onion and herb filling. The addition of lemon juice, parsley and mint provide vibrant fresh flavours that balance the rich meat and earthy onions.
The word dolma is used to describe any Turkish dish involving stuffing, from stuffed artichokes to courgette flowers. In Greece, stuffed vine leaves are called dolmades, while Greek Cypriots call them koupepia. However, they are all describing the same dish with slight variations in recipes.
Fillings for dolma are either meat-based, as with this recipe, or are vegetarian with rice used as the main ingredient. Whichever filling is used, a variety of herbs are added for flavour such as dried mint and oregano.
You can usually recognise a Cypriot home in London by the grapevines growing in the garden, as they like to use freshly picked leaves to make stuffed vine leaves.
For this etli dolma recipe, you can use minced beef by itself, or mix it with lamb mince for a richer flavour. Guidance is provided for both freshly picked vine leaves (if you have some in your garden) and store-bought preserved vine leaves if you don't.
Etli dolma is best served with yoghurt and bread on the side if you want to keep things simple, but fresh chips made with Cypriot potatoes are a perfect pairing. It is usually served as a main meal, but can also be served as a meze or side to another dish.
Serves 4 to 6 | Preparation time: 1 hour | Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Additional time: 10 minutes resting time after cooking
Ingredients
Vine leaf preparation | |
500g vine leaves (approx 80-120 leaves, depending on size) | Hot water |
Filling | Final preparation |
500g minced beef (or 50:50 lamb and beef mince) | 1 (150g) medium Cyprus potato (or other waxy variety), peeled and cut into 0.5cm thick slices |
80g medium grain white rice, washed well and strained | 1 medium onion, sliced into half-moon shapes |
50g fresh parsley, finely chopped | 50ml lemon juice, or as desired |
2 medium onions, finely chopped | 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra |
400g tinned chopped tomatoes | 100ml hot water, plus extra |
125ml lemon juice, or as desired | 1 tbsp tomato paste |
2 tbsp tomato paste | |
1 ½ tsp salt, or as desired | |
1 tsp dried mint | |
1 tsp dried oregano | |
½ tsp ground cinnamon | |
¼ tsp ground cumin | |
½ tsp ground black pepper | |
50ml sunflower oil |
Hob heat settings
Method
Vine leaf preparation - Fresh leaves:
Wash and place the leaves in a large bowl with enough hot water to cover. Lift the leaves gently with a spoon to ensure the hot water gets in between them. Leave for 5-10 minutes, or until softened and the leaves change to a green-brown colour, before draining off the water. Prepare the dolma as indicated below.
Vine leaf preparation - Store-bought preserved leaves:
Wash the leaves well with cold water to remove the preservatives and place in a large saucepan with enough hot water to cover the leaves. Lift the leaves gently with a spoon to ensure the hot water gets in between them. Place on a high heat and boil for 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Prepare the dolma as indicated below.
Dolma preparation - Trimming the vine leaves:
When preparing each dolma, trim the stalks from the vine leaves if they are long. For very large leaves, you can cut them in half vertically along the central stem with a knife. As a general rule, split any leaves larger than your hand (approximately 15 cm). These halved leaves may require a bit more skill to roll into dolma due to their shape. Set aside 10 spare vine leaves that are torn or have holes to use later in the preparation process.
Dolma preparation - Stuffing the vine leaves:
Lay out each prepared vine leaf flat, vein side-up, shiny side down. Place ½ - 2 tsp of filling (depending on the size of the leaf) just above the point of the leaf where the stem meets it.
Fold the leaf once from the bottom.
Then, fold the leaf from left and right to create a little envelope.
Finally, roll the leaf inwards, gripping the leaf tightly around the filling, so that it all tucks in well and there are no loose edges. It should hold itself well without unravelling.
Preparing the dolma for cooking:
Mix the tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil and hot water (see ‘final preparation’ ingredients). This will be used later.
Lightly oil the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil (we use a saucepan that's 24cm wide). Lay out the sliced potato, onions and 3 to 5 spare vine leaves across the bottom (see ‘final preparation’ ingredients). This prevents the dolma from burning and adds flavour.
Lay the prepared dolma across the bottom of the saucepan in rows. With each new layer, ensure that the dolma are laid out in the opposite direction to the layer below. Lay 3 to 5 more spare vine leaves on top to evenly cover.
Pour over the mixture you prepared earlier. Place a small plate on top to leave a 2cm gap around the edges - this prevents the dolma opening up while cooking. Then top up with enough hot water to just cover the dolma.
Cooking the dolma:
Place the saucepan on a high heat while loosely covered for 5-10 minutes or until it starts to lightly bubble constantly. Reduce to a medium heat and simmer for 1 hour more, or until cooked through.
Leave the cooked etli dolma loosely covered to settle for at least 10 minutes before serving - they will fall apart if you serve them sooner. Serve hot with yoghurt and bread, or freshly prepared chips on the side.