Domaldes

Ντολμάδες

Serves:
60 mini dolmades, feeds 4-5 people
Prep time:
40 minutes
Cook time:
30 minutes

Dolmades (pronounced dol-ma-thes) are a staple of the Greek and Cypriot cuisines. You can find them tinned in supermarkets on this side of the world, or you can head to your local Greek restaurant. But nothing compares to Yiayia’s. Growing up in Cyprus, Sunday was meat day, and as she puts it, you needed “cash money” for the good cuts. While the boys went for steaks and chops, Yiayia preferred dishes like dolmades, making the most of mince. One of Yiayia’s secrets to making the tastiest dolmades or dolmathakia (baby dolmades), is to retrieve the younger, smaller vine leaves, which are not as tough as the bigger leaves. Aim to collect leaves that are about the size of your palm.

Ingredients

  • 250g lamb or beef mince
  • 1 cup medium grain rice
  • ½ a medium-sized brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 mint leaves(or 1tsp of dried mint)
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 60 medium-sized vine leaves(approx. 10-15cm wide). If you can’t source these from your neighbourhood, you can buy them frozen or in jars from Mediterranean stores

Method

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  1. Put the , , , , , , and in a large bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until all of the ingredients are well combined
  2. Cut the stems off the and wash them thoroughly
  3. Put the vine leaves in boiling water and blanche for 1 and a half minutes until soft and khaki in colour
  4. To make the dolmades, lay a leaf vein-side up on a dinner plate. Put about 1.5tsp of mince mixture onto the centre of the leaf, about one third of the way up the leaf, and form into a horizontal log shape about 5cm long. Take the bottom right corner of the leaf and fold to the left until it hits the mince, then take the bottom left corner of the leaf and fold to the right until it hits the mince. Then take the bottom of the leaf and fold tightly a couple of times to ensure the bottom is thickened, then wrap it over the log of mince and tightly roll up the leaf. Make sure that you pull the edges in as you roll up the leaf to make sure that it is a tight structure
  5. Stack the dolmades in a large pot and then put a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of lemon juice and salt over the dolmades. Cover with a plate and press down lightly on the dolmades. Make sure that the plate fits snug inside the pot and covers the dolmades
  6. Put enough water in the pot to just cover the plate, put a lid on the pot and let cook over a medium high heat for 20-30 minutes
  7. After 20-30 minutes, take one dolmada out, cut it in half and test the rice to ensure it is cooked. When cooked, you will see the rice become fluffy and the meat cooked. If not yet cooked, ensure there is still a little water in the pot and test another dolmada in 5 minutes. If there's not enough water, add a bit of boiling water to the pot and lightly swirl it around to ensure there is some moisture in the dolmades
  8. Once cooked, remove the lid from the pot and put the plate back on top of the dolmades. Flip the pot quickly upside down to get all the dolmades out onto the plate. The extra water should help the dolmades get loose, and unstick from the bottom of the pot
A hand rolling a vine leaf around the mince filling to shape a dolmade
Figure 1. The art of rolling

From Yiayia's Fridge · page 81