Persian Dolmeh Recipe

Make the filling:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Add in the ground beef and brown it.
3. Add cooked chana dal and par cooked rice to browned ground beef. Add salt and pepper.
4. Stir in chopped tarragon, parsley, cilantro, green onion and dill and cook for a few minutes. Finally, add the barberries and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wrap the dolmeh:

1. Lay a grape leaf flat on your working surface, rough side up. If the grape leaf has deep edges, place another grape leaf on top so you have a bigger surface to work with.
2. Spoon one tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the leaf. Carefully, fold the edges from the sides and overlap to cover the filling and wrap the dolmeh into a square (watch the video for instructions). Carefully set it aside, folded side down.

Layer in the pot:

1. Pour 1 tbsp vegetable into a pot and cover the bottom with grape leaves.
2. Place the stuffed grape leaves tightly next to each other, overlapping side down. Repeat this step until the bottom of the pot is covered.
3. Make sure the stuffed grape leaves are tightly set next to each other, to make sure they won't open up while cooking. Repeat the layers until every dolmeh is in the pot.

Cook:

1. Place a heat proof plate or a sauce pan lid on top of the dolmeh and press a bit.
2. Mix 1 1/2 cup hot water with lemon juice and sugar and pour it into the pot from the edges and place the pot on medium heat and put the lid on.
3. When the water starts simmering, lower the heat and let the dolmeh cook for about one hour. After one hour, the water must be all absorbed and grape leaves should be cooked.
4. Try one dolmeh; if it's soft, easy to bite and the rice is cooked completely, then it's ready to serve.