Iraqi Dolma
Mixed onion, eggplant and grape-leaf parcels with rice and lamb.
Preparation: 35 min · Cooking: 1 hr · Total: 1 hr 40 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- Large food-grade grape leaves, fresh or brined — 4
- 120 ml Dry short-grain rice
- 150 g Raw minced lamb
- Small onion — 1
- Small eggplant — 1
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 0.5 tsp Curry powder
- 120 ml Initial hot cooking water
- 1 tbsp Ghee for onion layer
- Salt, to taste
- Water for rinsing and blanching, discarded
- Conditional boiling water, if needed (optional) — Separate from the measured initial liquid; add small measured amounts only if drying before fully cooked.
Instructions
Measure this recipe and prepare safely
For the base 2 servings of Iraqi Dolma, measure the ingredient list before starting. Cup = 240 ml, tbsp = 15 ml and tsp = 5 ml. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat food and refrigerate perishables until needed.
Prepare the mixed wrappers
Core the small eggplant safely, leaving a sound wall. Slit the onion to the core and soften layers in blanching water as needed. Drain and cool until safe to separate.
Prepare the grape leaves
Prepare the 4 large grape leaves according to their product directions. Rinse brined leaves as directed; soften fresh leaves as needed. Discard blanching water.
Mix the raw filling
For two servings, mix 120 ml dry rice, 150 g raw lamb, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 0.5 tsp curry and salt to taste. Keep the raw mixture chilled while preparing wrappers.
Fill with expansion room
Fill loosely and leave space for raw rice to expand. Fit the filling to usable wrapper size, not a fixed spoonful. Cook any excess filling immediately in a separate covered pan with conditional measured hot water. Do not force extra filling into undersized wrappers. Cook overflow until the rice is tender and meat reaches the selected 74°C.
Arrange the parcels
Melt the measured 1 tbsp ghee over low heat in a fitting pot. Arrange stuffed onion layers below the filled eggplant and grape leaves. Do not add unlisted lamb chops, tomatoes or ribs.
Add the measured initial liquid
Pour the initial 120 ml hot water down the pot wall. Half uses 60 ml and fourfold 480 ml initially. Conditional top-ups and water for excess filling are additional measured amounts, not guaranteed consumption.
Choose a suitable weight and simmer
Use a clean food-safe weight rated for stovetop simmering. It must fit inside the pot and allow steam and liquid circulation. An ordinary decorative plate is unsuitable. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer under the normal lid.
Check fillings and liquid
Begin checks around 50 minutes of gentle simmering. Monitor the liquid and add small measured boiling-water top-ups if drying; do not scorch the bottom. Check tender rice in the largest parcels and in any separate filling pan. Check the thickest centres with a clean thermometer: the selected household target is 74°C. The guidance minimum for ground beef/lamb is 71°C; 74°C is a conservative choice, not a universal legal requirement.
Check fillings and liquid: 3000 seconds
Finish any separate filling
Any excess filling must finish cooking in its separate covered pan now. Check that its rice is tender and its meat centre reaches the selected 74°C; the parcels being ready does not prove that this pan is ready.
Serve without a heavy-pot inversion
Remove the weight carefully away from steam. Lift the parcels with a spoon or spatula and serve any cooked excess filling alongside. Do not invert a heavy hot pot or deliberately burn the bottom. Serve only after confirming the selected 74°C filling target.
Portion and store safely
Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. Do not leave a deep pot to cool on the counter. This selected household limit is not a validated shelf life.
Tips
- Ingredient quantities scale exactly; instruction quantities describe the base 2-serving batch. Use equivalent vessels or manageable batches. Times remind you to check, not to ignore doneness.
Common mistakes
- Do not add ingredients from the previous scaffold or treat initial water, discarded process water and optional top-ups as one fixed consumed total.
Substitutions
- Only alternatives explicitly named in the ingredient list are included in this master.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. Do not leave a deep pot to cool on the counter. This selected household limit is not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat appropriate leftovers at most once to 74°C throughout, then serve immediately. Rice must be cooled promptly and kept no longer than 24 hours; reheating does not rescue mishandled food.
About this recipe
Iraqi Dolma is presented here as an owner-supplied Iraqi household version. Specific ancient origins or universal regional claims have not been independently verified.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.