Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

What's Cooking America » Cooking Articles » Appetizers » Meat Appetizers » Beef Appetizer Recipes » Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe

  • Recipe
  • Comments
  • Print

This is a traditional Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves recipe shared with What’s Cooking America by Chef Maha Barsoom. Maha is a personal chef and caterer specializing in Egyptian cooking. Maha travels all over North America and Europe teaching about Egyptian cooking and cuisine.


Article by Maha Barsoom, Personal Chef and Caterer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MahasFineEgyptianCuisine

Maha says, “Egyptian stuffed grape leaves are not hard to make – but they take forever to roll, and they are eaten in no time! This is why they are generally served for special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, or for special guests. They do not even take that long to cook, but the rolling is the issue. If you have a big family, then this will help as everyone can join in and the pot is filled in no time.

My mother used to make them for us all the time. She would make them soft and juicy and she would roll for hours to make a huge pot full for all of us. Then we all sit together and enjoy eating the whole pot in less than an hour! She would flip them on the serving dish and then squeeze lime juice on top – the smell and the taste is out of this world!

My mom made them for us vegan or with lamb meat… So yummy! It is a big tradition in our family to have vegan stuffed grape leaves on Good Friday with falafel and sprouted beans soup. My mom cooked the best Good Friday dinner. We would come home from church looking forward to dinner after fasting the whole day.

On Easter Monday, there was always another bigger pot with Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves, but this time with lamb meat! Sometimes, I would help my mom in rolling them while sitting on our big dining table. I always loved to add lots of rice and make them fatty rolls. The fattier they are, the juicier they become after they are cooked. This is how I love them, but my mom would say ‘you will finish all the rice before rolling all the leaves!’ My mom was very fast in stuffing and rolling the leaves and always made sure to set aside a few big fatty ones especially for me. She would say ‘if they are all big and fat, they will not look nice and appetizing to eat.’

A dish of Egyptian stuffed grape leaves is often served as an appetizer in restaurants throughout Egypt. But, in homes, it is one of the favorite main dishes served at the dinner table. For Easter lunch there will be fresh green Molokheia, rice, chicken, stuffed grape leaves, cucumber yogurt salad, and green salad all together as a feast. Or, as we do at home on occasion, you can make the grape leaves as a main dish with meat or chicken and eat it with a salad.”

More delicious recipes using grape leaves: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Gorgonzola and Olives.

Print

Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe:

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Egyptian

Keyword:Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe

Servings: 3 to 4 people as main course

Author: What's Cooking America

Ingredients

  • 50 to 60freshgrape leavesor 1 (16-ounce) jar brined grape leaves, drained and rinsed*
  • 1 1/2cups short grainCalrose rice(Egyptian rice), uncooked
  • 1poundground beef(hamburger)**
  • 2largeonions,grated
  • 6cloves ofgarlic(3 minced and 3 sliced)
  • 1(8-ounce) cancrushed tomatoes
  • 1/2cup regularolive oil***
  • 1cupparsley,fresh, chopped
  • 1 1/2teaspoonsEgyptian Spice Mix****
  • 1teaspoonmint leaves,dried
  • 1 1/2teaspoonscoarse saltor sea salt
  • 1teaspoonblack pepper,freshly-ground
  • 2largetomatoes,sliced
  • Juiceof 1 lime or 2 tablespoons lim juice
  • 4cupswateror 1 (32-ounce) container of chicken stock*****

Instructions

  1. Line the bottom of a heavy pot with fresh sliced tomatoes and sprinkle them with sliced garlic and set aside.

  2. Preparing the grape leaves:Prep the grapes leaves according to the following instructions depending if they are fresh picked leaves or bottled in a brine:

  3. Using fresh grape leaves:Grape leaves are best picked from grape vines in the Spring, while they are still tender. Select young whole, medium leaves. NOTE: Be sure and pick them before the first spray as some sprays are toxic. Most of the sprays used today are non-toxic and water soluble, but sulfur taste is not what you want on your grapes. Pick approximately 1 1/2 pounds of fresh leaves which are the same as one jar of preserved leaves. Using scissors, cut off the stems and either soak in very hot water for 15 minutes to soften or blanch grape leaves until they are soft (the time will depend on the leaves - fresh ones will only take a minute). They can be washed and stacked on top of each other and frozen in resealable plastic bag. heck out my article onUsing Fresh Grape Leaves.

  4. Using jarred Grape Leaves: To prepare jarred grape leaves, rinse well under cold water to remove the brine. Place them in a colander (back side up) to drain and hold until ready to use. NOTE: Do not throw away any torn or damaged leaves, as they can be used to patch holes in other leaves.

  5. Preparing the Rice Mixture:Rinse uncooked rice thoroughly in cold water and drain in colander. In a large bowl, mix the uncooked rice with raw ground beef, grated onions, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes from the can, oil, parsley, spices, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside to use for stuffing.

  6. Stuffing and Rolling Egyptian Grape Leaves:

    Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe, Whats Cooking America (3)

  7. Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe, Whats Cooking America (4)

  8. Place a leaf with the stem towards you on a plate or flat surface. The veins of the leaf should face up. Using the point of a sharp paring knife cut out the stem of the leaf and set aside stems to reserve for later use. Overlap the bottom two sections of the leaf toward the center.

  9. Place a teaspoon of the prepared meat/rice filling on the bottom center of the leaf, just above the stem.

  10. Fold the bottom section up to cover the filling. Fold the sides in towards the center. Continue rolling the packet up towards the top point of the leaf.

  11. Place the prepared stuffed grape leaves in a circle then in layers in the pot, always with seam down.

  12. Sprinkle with the reserved stems of the leaves to give a tangy taste to the rice.

  13. Cooking the stuffed grape leaves:Pour stock or water over the stuffed leaves enough to cover them by about an inch. If you use chicken stock, you do not need to add salt, pepper, and olive oil. If using water, add olive oil, salt, and pepper to water to taste.

  14. Place an inverted heatproof plate on top of the rolls to keep them submerged in the water. Cover the pot with the lid and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the leaves are tender and the rice filling is cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.

  15. Serving the stuffed grape leaves:Once the stuffed grape leaves have cooled, place the serving plate on top of the pot and flip the pot upside down to have all the stuffed leaves all intact and stacked on the serving plate. Squeeze the lime juice on top and enjoy!

  16. Serves many as an appetizer or 3 to 4 people as main course.

Recipe Notes

* Can use fresh or jarred grape leaves. See below instructions.

** Can substitute ground lamb meat

*** Do not use extra virgin olive oil - must use regular olive oil or the rice will be too sticky and heavy.

****Egyptian Spice Mixa spice blend that goes well with poultry, vegetable, and rice dishes. This spice can be found at gourmet or Middle Eastern grocery stores or online.

***** Learn how easy it is to make homemadeChicken Stock - Basic Chicken Stock.

Related Recipes

Categories:

Beef Appetizer Recipes Easter Egyptian Grape Leaves Rice Recipes Rolls Tomatoes Vegetable Appetizers

Comments and Reviews

5 Responses to “Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe”

  1. alan perry

    Love your recipe. if it helps you can make the Egyptian spice yourself.

    Reply

    • Patty

      Would you share the recipe for Egyptian spice please?
      Thanks.

      Reply

      • Whats Cooking America

        I don’t know the ratio of measurements but the spice label says it contains the following ingredients: Mixed Pepper, Cloves, All spice, Ginger, Rosebuds, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg.

        Reply

  2. Dandy

    Wonderful recipe. Very authentic. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Rosemary Strause

    Thank you for the recipe. Would it be possible to get the vegan version? I always make lamb warak enab at Christmas for my family but I cannot find a vegan version I like for myself.

    Reply

Leave a Reply






Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe, Whats Cooking America (5)

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Egyptian Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for stuffed grape leaves? ›

Young leaves from grape vines are the preferred leaf to use for dolma. Grape leaves can be found in many markets in jars near the pickled products. If you can't find brined grape leaves, collard greens or Swiss chard are good substitutes.

What country are stuffed grape leaves from? ›

Now, you'll find many variations of stuffed grape leaves recipes, from Turkey and Greece to Lebanon, and Egypt where it's called Warak Enab (Grape Vine Paper.) Some recipes containing meat, others vegetarian.

What is the difference between dolmas and dolmades? ›

In terms of the difference between these terms, "dolmades" and "dolmas" are essentially the same thing, with "dolmades" being the Greek word for this dish and "dolmas" being the Turkish word.

What is a substitute for dolma leaves? ›

You can use raspberry leaves, cabbage leaves. There is also a vegetable dolma. In this case уou stuff eggplants, tomatoes, pepper and cabbage leaves with meat. Cabbage leaves should be blanched before.

Can you substitute fig leaves for grape leaves? ›

You can make dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, with fig leaves in place of the grape leaves. And you can wrap them around whole fish or fillets, then grill, roast or steam, for an aromatic main course.

What do Arabs call dolma? ›

Warak enab means 'grape leaves' in Arabic, but this dish is also commonly known as dolma, which is the singular term of this dish in Greek-usually the Greek stuffed grape leaves are referred to as dolmades (the plural term).

Is dolma Greek or Arab? ›

Dolmades are a food you will find in many variations in every area of Greece and in every season. The name 'dolma' has been borrowed by the Greeks from the Turks, however the food itself stems from ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, dolmades were called 'Thria' -Θρία- and were made with tender fig leaves!

What is dolma called in English? ›

Dolma (Turkish for "stuffed") is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Turkish or Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside a vegetable or a leaf wrapping.

What is typical Egyptian food? ›

Egyptian cuisine shares similarities with food of the Eastern Mediterranean region, such as rice-stuffed vegetables, grape leaves, shawerma, kebab and kofta, with some variation and differences in preparation. Some consider Koshary, a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni, to be the national dish.

What is Egyptian leaves? ›

Egyptian leaves are a herb with strong laxative and antipyretic healing properties that treats constipation and gastrointestinal disorders. Egyptian Leaves are recommended for people with constipation problems or people who want to regulate good bowel function.

What country invented dolma? ›

Dolma is one of the oldest national dishes of Azerbaijan.

The name of the dish, of Turkish origin, indicates the technique of its preparation - filling vegetable, grape, Rumex, hornbeam and quince leaves, or a thin dough layer, with various stuffings. In some regions it is called “sarma”.

Who invented stuffed grape leaves? ›

Records show that Dolma was first prepared in the city of Thebes, an ancient town on the Nile River. The natives of Thebes stuffed seasonal meat and vegetables into vine leaves to make a dolma-like dish. Around 335 BC, Alexander the Great and his soldiers conquered the city of Thebes.

Are stuffed grape leaves healthy? ›

Although recipes vary, most involve a roll of tangy grape leaves filled with a savory combination of rice and herbs. The result: a unique, flavorful treat rich in vitamins and antioxidants and low in calories, salt, and fat.

Are dolma leaves healthy? ›

As a consequence, dolma yalanci are a nutritional alternative for an appetizer or main meal since they are light in calories, fat and salt. Actually, their high content in vegetable fibers, vitamins, metals and antioxidants, contribute to the good function of our body.

Why are stuffed grape leaves so good? ›

The labor-intensive dish has a wide appeal for ostensible reasons. The paper-thin briny grape leaves encase a juicy traditional mix of rice and meat, either beef or lamb or only rice. The stuffing is traditionally spiked with an assortment of pungent spices such as cardamom, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon.

Do grape leaves taste like collard greens? ›

Grape leaves have a mild tangy taste not dissimilar to collard greens, and when cooked act as a sponge, soaking up all the delicious flavor from the herby rice filling. In the US, grape leaves can be purchased in a jar and preserved with brine.

What are stuffed grape leaves made of? ›

Dolmades are a traditional Greek dish made from stuffed grape leaves. The leaves are typically filled with a mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes ground meat. They are usually served cold as a meze (appetizer) or as a side dish.

How healthy are stuffed grape leaves? ›

When filled with additional nutrition-rich ingredients, grape leaves are extra healthy. The fresh herbs and spices typically used to flavor the filling are rich in antioxidants, which help the body naturally fight against illness.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nathanial Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6129

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanial Hackett

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: Apt. 935 264 Abshire Canyon, South Nerissachester, NM 01800

Phone: +9752624861224

Job: Forward Technology Assistant

Hobby: Listening to music, Shopping, Vacation, Baton twirling, Flower arranging, Blacksmithing, Do it yourself

Introduction: My name is Nathanial Hackett, I am a lovely, curious, smiling, lively, thoughtful, courageous, lively person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.