Name: Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 40 brined grape leaves, rinsed; about one 16 oz (450 g) jar, choosing the largest unblemished leaves; 1 cup short-grain rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve; 2 tbsp pine nuts; 2 tbsp dried currants, or raisins; ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped; 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped; ½ tsp ground allspice; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt, divided between the filling and the cooking liquid; ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons; 1 ½ cup water, hot; 1 lemon, thinly sliced, to line the pot

Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Yaprak sarma are brined grape leaves rolled around a herbed rice filling with pine nuts and currants, then simmered in olive oil and lemon. Served cool, they are a centerpiece of a zeytinyağlı meze spread.

Total time

1 hr 50 min

Prep

1 hr

Cook

50 min

Serves

Difficulty

Hard

Per serving

284 kcal

Method

Soak the grape leaves in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes to soften them and loosen the brine, then drain well and trim any tough stems.
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion for 6 minutes until soft, add the pine nuts for 2 minutes until golden, then stir in the rice for 1 minute.
Add the currants, dill, mint, allspice, sugar, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 cup hot water, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the rice is still firm in the center; cool the filling for 15 minutes.
Lay one leaf vein side up with the stem end toward you, place about 1 tsp of filling near the stem, fold the base over it, tuck in the sides and roll tightly into a small cigar about 2 inches (5 cm) long.
Line a heavy pot with torn leaves and lemon slices, arrange the rolls seam side down in tight circles in layers, and place a small heatproof plate on top to hold them in place.
Pour the remaining 1 cup hot water, the lemon juice, the remaining olive oil and 0.5 tsp salt over the rolls so the liquid comes just to the plate.
Cover and simmer gently, around 190°F (88°C), for 45 to 50 minutes until the rice is fully tender and the leaves look silky, then cool in the pot for at least 1 hour and serve at room temperature with extra olive oil and lemon.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 284
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 35g
Fat: 14g
Fiber: 2g

Protein 4%Carbs 50%Fat 45%

Estimates only. Check ingredient labels and allergens, and cook meat and poultry to safe internal temperatures.

turkish · appetizer · meze · vegetarian · rice · grape leaves

Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

Nutrition per serving

Missing something?

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

Nutrition per serving

Missing something?

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