Stuffed Grape Leaves (a.k.a Dolmas or Dolmades) is a Turkish dish that is also very popular in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.

This dish is known as "Etli Yaprak Sarma" in Turkey and is made with ground meat, fresh herbs, and rice wrapped in vine leaves.

However, Dolma can be made with various vegetables such as eggplants (aubergines), onions, zucchinis (courgettes), and bell peppers.

These are the ingredients you need for dolma recipe. Click on 👇 "learn more" for the full list of ingredients with measurements.

To make the filling, place the ground meat, onions, salt, black pepper, chili flakes, tomato paste, olive oil, rice and chopped herbs to a bowl.

Mix everything very well until all are nicely combined. Remove the grape leaves from the jar and rinse well. Let them drain in a colander.

Layer the pot with unused grape leaves. Or use sliced potatoes and/or lamb ribs to avoid the dolmas touching the bottom of the pot from burning.

Lay the grape leaf flat on a cutting board. Place 1 tbsp of the meat filling and place it in the center of the leaf, close to where the stem was.

Fold the sides of the grape leaf over the filling. Roll the grape leave and keep tucking the sides as you roll.

Roll them tightly enough but not too tight, leaving enough room for the rice to expand as it cooks. Repeat the same until you run out of grape leaves or meat filling.

Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows neatly in your pot. Dilute 1 tsp of tomato paste with 600 ml water and pour it over dolmas.

Bring it to a boil and  simmer until the leaves are softened. Let the dolmas rest before serving. Click on 👇 "learn more" for the full recipe.