Iraqi Dolma with Grape Leaves
Grape leaves with rice, lamb and single ground allspice.
Preparation: 35 min · Cooking: 1 hr · Total: 1 hr 40 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- Large food-grade grape leaves, fresh or brined — 20
- 120 ml Dry short-grain rice
- 150 g Raw minced lamb
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 180 ml Prepared hot lamb broth
- 0.5 tsp Ground allspice, single spice
- 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 with Grape Leaves, 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.
Soften and drain the leaves
Follow the grape-leaf product directions for rinsing and softening. For suitable fresh leaves, begin a blanching check around 3 minutes. Drain and discard the process water. Lay leaves vein-side up.
Soften and drain the leaves: 180 seconds
Mix the raw filling
Mix 120 ml dry rice, 150 g raw lamb, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 0.5 tsp single ground allspice and salt. Do not substitute a seven-spice blend.
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
Fold leaf sides over an appropriately small portion of filling and roll loosely enough for rice expansion. Arrange snugly in a fitting pot without crushing. A fixed teaspoon per leaf does not account for all filling. No ribs are added.
Add the measured initial liquid
Add 180 ml prepared hot lamb broth. Half uses 90 ml; fourfold 720 ml. This is the initial measured allowance; conditional boiling-water additions may be needed for the actual pot.
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 with Grape Leaves 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.