Yaprak Sarma - Stuffed Grape Leaves

5 from 9 votes

Turkish vegetarian grape leaves stuffed with a lemony rice, pine nut and currant filling. Vegan, gluten free, and better the day after you make them.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: pieces

Calories: 44kcal

If using fresh grape leaves, wash them thoroughly and blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, until they are soft and easy to fold. Place them in a colander and let them cool while you prepare the rice filling.
If using jarred grape leaves in brine, take them out and rinse them well. Taste one first, because brands vary. If yours are very salty, soak them in warm water for an hour and change the water once.
Let them drain in a colander while you prepare the rice stuffing.

Rinse the rice under cold running water and let it drain in a colander.
Put a pan on medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the pine nuts and cook until they turn slightly brown, then stir in the washed rice and the currants.
Cook the rice until it looks completely dry, then add the tomato paste, salt, freshly ground black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, dried mint, sugar, 1 cup of water and the lemon juice. Mix well and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook until the water has gone, take the pan off the heat, then stir in the parsley and the dill. The rice should not be fully cooked, because it carries on cooking inside the leaves.
Stir the mixture and let it cool for 10 minutes before you stuff the grape leaves.

Line the bottom of your Dutch oven or pot with torn or leftover grape leaves. Sliced tomatoes or potatoes work as well, and they stop the rolls catching on the base.
Lay a leaf flat on a cutting board with the shiny side down. Put about 1 tablespoon of the rice filling in the middle, near the stem end.
Fold the sides over the filling and roll, tucking the sides in as you go. Roll firmly but not tight, so the rice has room to expand.
Arrange the rolls in neat rows in the pot, seam side down, packed in with no gaps between them. Lay a few lemon slices over the top.
Dilute 1 teaspoon of tomato paste with 2 cups of water and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Pour it over the rolls until it almost covers them, then sit a plate upside down on top so they stay put and cook evenly.
Bring it to a boil, then simmer gently on low heat for an hour, or until the leaves are soft and the rice is fully cooked.
Let them cool in the pot with the lid on before you move them to a serving plate.

Look for thin leaves without very hard veins, whichever kind you buy.
Taste a leaf before you start. Brands vary, and if yours are very salty, soak them in warm water for an hour and change the water once.
Do not overfill the leaves. The rice swells as it cooks and an overfilled roll will burst.
Roll them firmly but not tight, so the rice has room to expand.
Line the bottom of the pot with torn or leftover leaves, or a few slices of tomato or potato, so nothing catches and burns.
Pack the rolls in tightly, seam side down, with no gaps between them.
Sit a plate upside down on top of the rolls before the water goes in. It stops them unrolling and they cook more evenly.
Keep the water at a gentle simmer. A hard boil breaks the leaves apart.
The cooking time depends on the leaves. Thin fresh ones soften in well under an hour, and jarred leaves usually need the full hour or a little longer.
Let them cool in the pot with the lid on, then serve them cold or at room temperature. They taste better the next day, so make them ahead if you can.
Leftovers keep 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Keep the container covered, because the rice goes hard if the leaves dry out. You can also freeze them raw, rolled and packed flat, then thaw them overnight in the fridge before cooking.
Swap the pine nuts for walnuts, almonds or pistachios, or leave them out for a nut allergy. Chard, kale and cabbage leaves all work in place of grape leaves, and bulgur works in place of the rice.