Sarma – stuffed vine leaves with rice and yogurt

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 package of vine leaves, 500 g, in brine
• 2 tbsp paprika paste (Turkish salca)
• 2 cups long grain rice
• Salt and pepper, from the mill
• Water
• Natural yogurt, 10% fat or less

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

also called Dolma

It is important that the vine leaves are soaked in water before stuffing to remove most of the salt. To do this, remove the vine leaves from the package, carefully separate them, and trim off the stems, if present. Then soak them in plenty of lukewarm water for a few minutes, changing the water occasionally. Then spin them dry in batches in a salad spinner. For the filling, peel the onion and garlic and finely dice them. Sauté in a pan with 7 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the salca and let it roast for a moment. Finally, stir in the rice. Season with pepper and salt sparingly, as the vine leaves are usually very salty despite being soaked. This also depends on the variety. Remove the rice mixture from the heat. Now it’s time to stuff the vine leaves. To do this, sort out any unsightly, too small, or damaged leaves and set them aside. Spread the attractive leaves out on the worktop with the top facing down and the pointy side facing up. Depending on the size of the leaves, place about 1-2 teaspoons of filling on each leaf and spread it lengthwise. Fold the leaves in at the sides and then roll them up from bottom to top, not too tightly nor too loosely. Place the rolls close together, seam-side down, in a wide pot or a wide frying pan with high sides. When the bottom is completely covered with the first layer of vine rolls, add a few drops of olive oil. Then add the next layer to the pot until all the vine leaves have been used. Add a few drops of olive oil to the last layer as well. Then cover evenly with the discarded vine leaves. Weigh down the vine rolls with a flat, appropriately sized plate to prevent them from rolling up during cooking. Fill with hot water. Cover the pot and simmer the vine rolls over medium heat for 45-60 minutes. There isn’t much room in a pan, so keep an eye on the water level during cooking and add hot water frequently, as the rice absorbs quite a bit of liquid. After 45 minutes, it’s best to taste a vine roll to see if the rice is cooked. Once the rice is cooked, remove the vine leaves from the heat. You can enjoy the vine rolls hot, warm, or cold. They taste great with natural yogurt, which you can also season with garlic. They freeze well. To reheat, simply heat them in the microwave or in hot water. Tip: If you don’t want to miss out on meat, you can also add crumbly fried ground beef to the rice mixture.