It is hard to say in which kitchen of the world a dish of minced meat with rice first appeared, wrapped in grape leaves. Many nations consider this culinary masterpiece to their inventions. Armenians belong to them, in whose national cuisine dolma is one of the most favorite dishes. For this reason, many believe that if you want to cook a real dolma, you should use the recipe of Armenian cuisine. Armenian dolma in grape leaves differs from other similar dishes, and its recipe deserves the right to be entered in the cookbook of any hostess.
Cooking Features
Each mistress will be able to cook delicious Armenian dolma, even if she has never been to Armenia. Despite the fact that the recipe is unusual and rather intricate, it is not difficult to use it, and no special culinary skills will be required for this. The main thing is to know and take into account several important points.
- Minced meat used for cooking dolma in Armenian is usually made from beef, although it is permissible to use mutton for this purpose. Mixed and minced will also be delicious. The main thing is to take quality meat for it. That is why it is undesirable to take mince on dolma in the store, because in this case there can be no firm certainty that it is made from good meat, and not from low-grade meat products.
- Regardless of whether lamb or beef was used to make minced meat, lamb ribs are required to make dolma in Armenian. Preference should be given to the ribs of the young lamb, as they prepare faster, they are more tender. When extinguishing the ribs are laid out on the bottom of a cauldron or saucepan, thanks to which dolma does not burn and acquires a unique taste and aroma.
- Grape leaves for dolma can be used both fresh and canned. In any case, they need to remove the most coarse areas, including cuttings. Also, the leaves must be washed. For this it is best to use boiled water. Pickled leaves should be washed with cool water, fresh - hot. This is necessary so that they become softer and more elastic, do not tear when minced meat is wrapped in them.
- Dolma is stewed in thick-bottomed dishes for quite a long time, but rice, if not boiled beforehand, can still remain hard. Therefore, before you combine with minced meat, rice is boiled at least until half cooked.
- If you do not know which rice variety to prefer, choose round grain.
Serve dolma in Armenian with a fermented milk product mixed with crushed garlic. This product can be yogurt, sour cream, unsweetened yogurt.
Armenian recipe dolma
Composition:
- lamb ribs - 1 kg;
- beef pulp - 0, 5 kg;
- fat tail - 100 g;
- onions - 0, 2 kg;
- rice cereal - 150 g;
- grape leaves - 0, 5 kg;
- tomatoes - 1 kg;
- fresh basil - 30 g;
- fresh coriander - 30 g;
- fresh mint - 30 g;
- vegetable oil - how much will leave;
- salt, black pepper powder - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash the lamb. Dry it with paper napkins. Cut into pieces so that each has a bone. If the ribs are large, cut each in half with a culinary hatchet. Rub the ribs with salt and pepper. Additionally, you can use dried herbs, chosen to your taste. In order not to disturb the harmony, you can take the same herbs that will be used fresh.
- Rice sort out, rinse and put to boil, filled with a glass of water. When the water is partially boiled away, partially absorbed into the rice, it will be brought to the necessary degree of readiness.
- Wash the beef and roll it through the meat grinder along with the fat of the rump. If the stuffing you use purchased, then the fat can be crushed separately and after that combine with the stuffing. You can cope with this task without a meat grinder. Having frozen the fat and grated it. Not forbidden to use and blender.
- Salt mince and pepper to taste, mix with rice.
- Peel the onions. Cut it into small pieces. Add to the stuffing and knead it thoroughly.
- Wash and dry the grape leaves. Cut off their cuttings and other rough areas. Lay the grape leaf in front of you with the matte side up. In the center of the sheet, right above the place where there used to be a cutting, place a spoonful of minced meat. Fold the lower edges to the center of the overlap. Fold the sides of the sheet to the center. Fold the sheet to make a roll with minced meat.
- Wash tomatoes. Make a cross-shaped incision on each vegetable. Dip tomatoes for two minutes in boiling water. Take out a slotted spoon and cool it by placing it in cold water for a while. Clean up.
- Cut half of the tomatoes into slices, rub the rest through a sieve or chop up with a blender.
- In the cauldron pour oil. When it boils, fry in it until golden brown ribs, reduce heat. If you have grape leaves, they can be expanded on ram ribs.
- Put the ribs on the ribs.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs, coarsely chopping it with a knife.
- Spread the tomato slices on top.
- Dissolve tomato puree with water and pour this mixture into the cauldron. The fluid should be about two fingers above the dolma.
- Cover the cauldron with a lid and stew the dolma in the grape leaves for an hour or so, depending on the size of the ribs.
Spread the dolma into plates. Next put a few edges. Pour the sauce in which the dolma was stewed. Separately serve sour cream or yogurt. They are best mixed with chopped garlic.
Dolma in Armenian is a tasty and satisfying dish that everyone should try.
