How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
Blend your chickpeas., Saute your onion and rice., Add the tomatoes, herbs, and chickpeas., Zest and juice one lemon, then season with salt and pepper., Add vegetable stock and cook., Prepare your assembly line., Begin filling your leaves., Roll...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Blend your chickpeas.
Drain and rinse your chickpeas in a colander.
Then transfer them to a food processor.
Blend on pulse until they’re crumbly., Coat the bottom of a large skillet with cooking oil.
Set the burner to medium heat and add the chopped onions once the oil has heated.
Saute until they turn translucent (about five minutes).
Stir in the rice, adding more oil as needed to coat them.
Cook for another minute., Grate the tomatoes into a pulp, either directly over the skillet or in a small mixing bowl.
Stir the pulp into the rice and onions.
Next, stir in the parsley, dill, and mint, followed by the chickpeas., Reserve one of your lemons for later.
Zest and juice the other into the mixture.
Once that’s done, add salt and pepper to taste., Pour the vegetable stock into the mixture and stir the mixture so it’s evenly distributed in the stock.
Then cover the skillet and cook for roughly ten minutes, or until the liquid has reduced.
Once it has, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired., While the mixture cools off, set up your assembly line for filling your grape leaves.
Place a cutting board, parchment paper, or something similar in between the skillet and a large pot.
Then line the bottom of the pot with any leaves that are too torn up to use, plus a few lemon slices from your second lemon, to keep the leaves from burning while cooking.If you don’t have enough leaves or lemon slices to cover the whole bottom, slice up a couple of medium-sized potatoes and cover them the bottom with those instead., Wait for the mixture to cool enough to handle safely with your fingers.
Then, for each leaf, remove the stem and place the leaf before you, with its glossier side facing down.
Top the bottom of the leaf with roughly a teaspoon of the mixture.Err on the side of too little filling than too much, because the rice will continue to expand when you cook it in the pot. , Roll from the bottom up until you reach midway up the leaf.
Fold the sides in so the filling doesn’t spill out.
Continue rolling all the way up to the top, tucking the sides in as needed to keep them closed., As you finish rolling each leaf, place it in the pot with the open seam facing down.
This way the weight of the leaves will keep the seam from unrolling.
Fit as many leaves as you can along the pot’s bottom.
Then start a second layer of leaves on top of the first.Packing them into the pot as tightly as possible will also keep them from unrolling.
So, if you don’t have enough leaves to make a full top layer, continue placing them right next to each other, rather than spread them apart., Place a plate on top of the leaves to keep the leaves in place.
Pour enough water in to cover all your leaves.
Then continue adding water until there’s an extra couple inches (5 cm) between the top layer and the waterline.If you’re really worried about the leaves unrolling, you can place an additional food-safe weight on top of the plate. , Put the pot on a burner and set the heat to low.
Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes.
Then use a pair of tongs to remove the plate and then one leaf.
Take a test bite to make sure the rice has cooked.
If not, return it to the pot for a few more minutes, then repeat., Remove the leaves with tongs and place them in a colander so the excess water can drain.
Let them cool to room-temperature, or chill them in the fridge if you like them cold.
Serve as is, or pair them with lemon slices and/or plain yogurt for dipping.Seal leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them.
They should last a couple days. -
Step 2: Saute your onion and rice.
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Step 3: Add the tomatoes
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Step 4: and chickpeas.
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Step 5: Zest and juice one lemon
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Step 6: then season with salt and pepper.
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Step 7: Add vegetable stock and cook.
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Step 8: Prepare your assembly line.
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Step 9: Begin filling your leaves.
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Step 10: Roll each leaf once you’ve filled it.
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Step 11: Layer your pot with rolled leaves.
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Step 12: Add a plate and water to the pot.
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Step 13: Cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
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Step 14: Drain and serve.
Detailed Guide
Drain and rinse your chickpeas in a colander.
Then transfer them to a food processor.
Blend on pulse until they’re crumbly., Coat the bottom of a large skillet with cooking oil.
Set the burner to medium heat and add the chopped onions once the oil has heated.
Saute until they turn translucent (about five minutes).
Stir in the rice, adding more oil as needed to coat them.
Cook for another minute., Grate the tomatoes into a pulp, either directly over the skillet or in a small mixing bowl.
Stir the pulp into the rice and onions.
Next, stir in the parsley, dill, and mint, followed by the chickpeas., Reserve one of your lemons for later.
Zest and juice the other into the mixture.
Once that’s done, add salt and pepper to taste., Pour the vegetable stock into the mixture and stir the mixture so it’s evenly distributed in the stock.
Then cover the skillet and cook for roughly ten minutes, or until the liquid has reduced.
Once it has, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired., While the mixture cools off, set up your assembly line for filling your grape leaves.
Place a cutting board, parchment paper, or something similar in between the skillet and a large pot.
Then line the bottom of the pot with any leaves that are too torn up to use, plus a few lemon slices from your second lemon, to keep the leaves from burning while cooking.If you don’t have enough leaves or lemon slices to cover the whole bottom, slice up a couple of medium-sized potatoes and cover them the bottom with those instead., Wait for the mixture to cool enough to handle safely with your fingers.
Then, for each leaf, remove the stem and place the leaf before you, with its glossier side facing down.
Top the bottom of the leaf with roughly a teaspoon of the mixture.Err on the side of too little filling than too much, because the rice will continue to expand when you cook it in the pot. , Roll from the bottom up until you reach midway up the leaf.
Fold the sides in so the filling doesn’t spill out.
Continue rolling all the way up to the top, tucking the sides in as needed to keep them closed., As you finish rolling each leaf, place it in the pot with the open seam facing down.
This way the weight of the leaves will keep the seam from unrolling.
Fit as many leaves as you can along the pot’s bottom.
Then start a second layer of leaves on top of the first.Packing them into the pot as tightly as possible will also keep them from unrolling.
So, if you don’t have enough leaves to make a full top layer, continue placing them right next to each other, rather than spread them apart., Place a plate on top of the leaves to keep the leaves in place.
Pour enough water in to cover all your leaves.
Then continue adding water until there’s an extra couple inches (5 cm) between the top layer and the waterline.If you’re really worried about the leaves unrolling, you can place an additional food-safe weight on top of the plate. , Put the pot on a burner and set the heat to low.
Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes.
Then use a pair of tongs to remove the plate and then one leaf.
Take a test bite to make sure the rice has cooked.
If not, return it to the pot for a few more minutes, then repeat., Remove the leaves with tongs and place them in a colander so the excess water can drain.
Let them cool to room-temperature, or chill them in the fridge if you like them cold.
Serve as is, or pair them with lemon slices and/or plain yogurt for dipping.Seal leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them.
They should last a couple days.
About the Author
Helen Ortiz
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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