Yalanci Dolma (Stuffed Vine Leaves) is a traditional Northern Cypriot recipe for a classic vegetarian starter or accompaniment of vine leaves stuffed with a mix of rice, herbs, spring onions and onions cooked in acidulated water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Northern Cypriot version of: Stuffed Vine Leaves (Yalanci Dolma).
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Ingredients:
225g onions, finely chopped
100g spring onions, finely chopped
250ml of olive oil
200g of rice
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Juice of 2 lemons
7g of dill, finely chopped
2g fresh mint, finely chopped
Method:
Blanch the vine leaves in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, drain and set aside to cool. This helps remove any residual bitterness and softens the leaves.
Mix all the filling ingredients (except the lemons) together in a bowl. Add about 2 tsp near the base of the vine leaves. Fold the sides of the leaves over the filling then roll the vine leaves up tightly to enclose the filling.
Pack the filled and rolled vine leaves into the bottom of a cast iron casserole (Dutch oven). Once the base has been filled, arrange the remaining dolmas inoutward radiating circles, evenly spaced and close to one another.
Gently place a plate that's not too heavy on top of the vine leaves so that they remain submerged and don't break open during cooking
Add the lemon juice and enough water to cover the rolls
Bring to a boil over medium heat then boil gently until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked (about 40 minutes).
Take off the heat, then allow to cool before draining the dolmas and arranging on a serving plate, garnished with slices of lemon.
These can be served as a starter or accompaniment.
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