Dolma
Vine leaves rolled round a filling of rice, onion, herbs and lemon, simmered in olive oil and stock and served cold.
Photograph credit: Picnic with Dolma and Traditional Cuisine by Beyza Emişen · Pexels License · Pexels
Storing and Planning Ahead
Keeps in the fridge for 5 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Dolma: The Method
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Rinse the vine leaves and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and trim the stems.
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Soften the onions in 2 tbsp of the oil for 6 minutes, stir in the rice for 2 minutes, then add the herbs, 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, salt and 100 ml of water. Cook for 5 minutes and cool.
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Put a teaspoon of filling on each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up snugly.
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Pack the rolls seam-side down in a pan lined with spare leaves. Add the stock, remaining oil and lemon juice, weigh down with a plate and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
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Cool in the pan before serving.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.
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Worth Knowing
- Rinse the leaves well.
- Do not overfill them.
- Weigh them down with a plate.
- Cool them in the pan.
Behind the Recipe
Rice, onion, herbs, lemon and vine leaves: five things, and a good deal of patience at the rolling stage. The first dozen are slow, and the rest go quickly once the hands know what to do.
Use vine leaves from a jar, rinsed and drained. Leaves in brine need a rinse and a minute in boiling water to take off the salt. Soften the onion in the oil, stir in the rice for 2 minutes, then the herbs, lemon juice and a little water, and let it cool. Do not overfill the leaves. The rice swells as it cooks, and an overstuffed roll bursts open.
Lay a leaf shiny-side down, put a teaspoon of filling at the stem end, fold in the sides and roll up snugly, not tight.
Pack the rolls seam-side down in a pan lined with spare leaves, weigh them down with a plate, add the stock and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Cool in the pan.
What to Put Next to It
Lemon wedges · Tzatziki · Feta · Olives
Quick Answers
How long does Dolma take to make?
45 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking, so at least 1 hour 35 minutes. The method also needs time for cooling, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 8.
Dolma Nutrition
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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