Feb 20

Dolmeh Barg-eh Mo
Dolmeh Barge Mo (Stuffed Grape Leaves) is the most common of Persian Dolmeh. There are a variety of ways to make the mixture that is wrapped with the grape leaves. The way I have wrapped the grape leaves is actually the Turkish style of wrapping. The one that ends up in a square form is the Iranian style; however, many people prefer to wrap the grape leaves in the Turkish style.

Ingredients (20-30 Grape Leaves):
30-40 grape leaves — you will need extra leaves to line the bottom of the pot
1 cup rice
1 medium onion
1/2 cup yellow split peas (lapeh)
1/3 cup lemon juice or vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar
250-500 grams ground beef
100-250 grams sabzi (herbs) — Fresh or dry (or combination); these include parsley, cilantro, green onions or tareh, shevid (dill), and small amount of Tarragon; can also include mint and savory leaves
salt, pepper
turmeric
oil
water

dolmeh-mo

Directions:

Prepare the stuffing/mixture:

Chop up the onion and fry it in a pan. Add the meat once the onion is golden in color and fry the meat. Add about half a cup of water and allow the meat to cook. You will add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the meat as well. Allow the meat to cook for at least 20. Once the meat is cooked set it aside and allow it to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and boil the yellow split peas for approximately 15 minutes. Then drain and set them aside to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and bring the rice to a boil. Drain the rice and set aside to cool.

Clean any fresh herbs and chop them up slightly using a food processor (or a knife). If using any dry herbs make sure to use less than you would if using fresh herbs. Certain herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and green onions you can use more of, while you would use less tarragon and dill. I used dry tarragon and dill, while I used fresh parsley, cilantro, and green onions.

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, add salt and pepper for taste.

dolmeh-mixture

Wrap the Grape Leaves:

If you are using fresh Grape Leaves you will need to boil them in water for a bit so that they soft. If using Grape Leaves in a jar bought from the store make sure you wash them real well so they have no preservatives left on them (it will ruin the flavor if left on the leaves).

grape-leaves

Take the leaves one at a time and lay them on a surface or cutting board. Take some of the mixture and place it on the leaf and then begin wrapping the leaf.

dolmeh-wraping

Add oil to the pot you plan on using to cook the Dolmeh in. Take a few leaves that aren’t wrapped and place them on the bottom of the pot. Take all the prepared Dolmeh’s and place them on the bottom of the pot leaving no spaces.

step3

Liquid mixture to pour over the Dolmeh’s:

Take the 1/3 cup of lemon juice (or vinegar) and add the sugar to it. Add about a cup of water to the juice/sugar and stir everything together. Once the sugar has dissolved pour the contents all over the Dolmeh’s in the pot.

step4

Cooking the Dolmeh’s:

Place a plate (or something else thats heavy) over the Dolmeh’s to make sure they dont move around. Turn the burner on to medium-low heat and place the lid on top of the pot. Allow the Stuffed Grape Leaves to cook for 30-45 minutes.

step5

Serve as a appetizer or side dish for some other Persian dish. Tastes amazing, you should try it! :)

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Feb 09

I typically make Khoresht-e Gheymeh with stew meat, but when I decided to make Gheymeh Polo I actually used ground beef instead of stew meat. You can use stew meat or ground beef for the khoresht; its tasty either way!

Gheymeh Polo

Gheymeh Polo

Ingredients (4 -6 people):
1 lb ground beef
1 small or medium onion - finely chopped
1 cup yellow split peas (lapeh)
turmeric
1 teaspoon ground limoo amani (dry lemon powder)
salt and pepper
lemon juice
3 1/2 cups rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
oil
saffron (optional)

Directions:
Rinse the rice a few times and then soak it in water for a few hours (add some salt to the rice as well).

Heat up the oil in a pot and then add the onions. Once the onions begin turning a golden color add the ground beef and stir. After the meat begins cooking add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the meat. Add the yellow split peas to the pot and fry them a bit with the meat. Note: You can fry the yellow split peas for a bit in a different frying pan. Add the tomato paste to the khoresht and stir with the rest of the contents. Add 2 - 3 cups of water to the pot. Add the limoo amani, lemon juice, and saffron (if you want) to the khoresht and cover the pot with the lid and allow the Khoresht-e Gheymeh to cook.

When the Gheymeh is ready, in a separate pot boil water. When the water is boiled add the rice to the pot and allow it to come to a boil again. When the rice comes to a boil (approximately 3-5 minutes) and before it overflows pour the rice into a strainer and allow the water to drain out. Add 1/4 of a cup water into the pot and place back on the stove top (still on high heat). Add some oil and allow the oil to heat up as well. Pour 1/3 of the rice back into the pot and then pour half the gheymeh on the rice, then pout another 1/3 of the rice into the pot and add the rest of the gheymeh onto the rice. Finally, pour the remaining rice over the rest of the contents in the pot. Place a towel over the lid of the pot and place the lid on top of the pot. Once steam begins escaping the from the pot turn the stove top heat down to a low temperature and allow the rice to cook for at least 40 minutes. When you are ready to serve the rice you will want to mix the contents together (use a large spoon or spatula to slowly mix the rice and khoresht) and then pour onto a serving platter or individual plates.

When it comes to serving the Gheymeh Polo you can choose to heat some butter and pour it over the rice. You can also choose to have Gheymeh polo with yogurt. If you like you can make some fries to serve with the rice, or even buy shoe string chips ;)

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