Authentic Turkish Stuffed Grape Leaves With Olive Oil Recipe
An irresistible flavory vegan-friendly Turkish appetizer consumable at every time in a day
Equipment
- 1 middle sized plate
- 1 strainer
- 1 bread cutting board
- 1 roll of stretch film
- 1 middle sized wooden spoon
- 1 kitchen towel
- 1 vacuum container if you will cook them in near future.
Ingredients
- 500 gr pikled grape leaves
- 2 cups rice
- 1 cup olive oil for the rice
- 100 ml olive oil for the cooking process of the grape leaves
- 4 oignons middle-sized and chopped
- 2 table spoon pine nuts
- 1 dessert spoon allspice
- 1 tea spoon cinnamon
- 1 tea spoon ground red pepper
- 1 table spoon dry mint
- 1 table spoon white sugar
- 1 dessert spoon salt to add on grape leaves before cooking stage
- 1 dessert spoon salt to add into the rice
- 2 pinches black pepper
- 2 table spoon dry black currants
- 1.5 cup boiling water to add into the rice
- 1.5 cup boiling water to add into the pot for the grape leaves
- 1 table spoon pomgaranate syrup
- 1/2 juice of lemon to use before the serving stage
- 1/2 juice of lemon to use for the cooking stage of the grape leaves
- 2 table spoon olive oil to use before the serving stage
Instructions
- Preparation of The RiceWash 2 cups of rice under cold flowinw water; drain and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Preparation of The Grape Leaves- Salt Removal Wash the pikled grape leaves under cold water during 2-3 minutes. Then make them wait in boiled water for 5 minutes. Rewash them under cold water and drain them with help of a strainer.
- Rice Cooking Poor 1 cup of olive oil in the pot. Add the chopped onions and 2 tbs of pine nuts. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add 2 cups pf washed, drained and 10 minutes rested rice into the pot and cook 5 more minutes. Add 1 dessert spoon of allspice,1 tea spoon of cinnamon,1 tea spoon of ground red pepper,1 full table spoon of dry mint,1 table spoon of white sugar,1 dessert spoon of salt,1/2 tea spoon of black pepper,2 table spoon of dry black currants (rested before in boiled water during 10 minutes)1 cup of boiling waterClose the pot lid and let it cook for 10 minutes on minimum heat until all the water has been absorbed. Place a kitchen towel on the pot and lid on top; let it cool down for 1 hour.
- Rolling The Grape Leaves Remove all the scpaes of the grape leaves one-by-one and keep them for future steps. Cover your table with stretch film and place the grape leave on bread cutting board.Place 1 dessert spoon of cooled rice in every grape leave. Start rolling the grape leaves from sides and then from the bottom.
- Cooking The Stuffed Grape LeavesPlace the scapes of the vine leaves and 3-4 grape leaves inside the pot. Place all the stuffed grape leaves within the pot with no space between them. Add1 tea glass of olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lemon 1 dessert spoon of salt 1.5 cup of boiled waterPlace 3-4 grape leaves on top. Put a middle sized plate in reverse position of top of the grape leaves. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. When boiled, decrease the heat to minimum and cook for 45 minutes more.
- Resting The Cooked Stuffed Grape LeavesMake them cool down and rest at room temperature without opening the lid for at least 3 hours.
- Serving StepServe them cold with 4-5 drops of lemon and 2 table spoon of olive oil.
Notes
1.If you have time and possibility to visit Turkey, you may try to cook this special dish using Tokat village grape leaves for the best result.
2. If you have time, prefer to rest the cooked stuffed grape leaves at room temperature first then in the fridge for 1 night and serve the next day.
As a tradition, Turkish specialties prepared with olive oil are being served cold and the next day. Since they rest in the fridge with olive oil and lemon drops for 1 night, the 1 night rested olive-oiled specialty becomes irresistible with a flavory and more delicious taste!
3. Please kindly choose thin and not too old grape leaves. If they are too thick or old, your cooking time can increase from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. After the first 5 minutes of cooking your grape leaves on medium heat, do not forget to minimize the heat to minimum if not your thin grape leaves would get torn or burned.
5. You may keep the leftovers in the fridge for the next 3 days. (But it's not common; normally they get disappeared within 10 minutes when you serve them to your loved-ones:)
6.If you are planning an important event, a dinner, a get together which will occur in near future, you may prepare the stuffed grape leaves and store them with help of a vacuum container in the deep freeze up to 2 weeks.
7. Please don't skip the step of placing 3-4 grape leaves inside the pot and then on top of the stuffed grape leaves. This step has 2 functions: 1. They keep your stuffed grape leaves from getting easily burned. 2. They keep the bright green color of your grape leaves and prevent them from getting dark brown color.
8. After your stuffed grape leaves have been cooked, do not remove the extra grape leaves on top and let them rest for at least 3 hours with closed lid.
9.This specialty can be consumed in breakfast, lunch, tea time or dinner according to your preference.
I hope you enjoyed my recipe; I will be so happy if you share with me your experience of cooking the Turkish style stuffed grape leaves with olive oil via Instagram.