Dolmas

Ingredients

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Onions

  Raw

  2 large or 300g

• Rice flour

  White

  1 ½ cup or 237g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  2 tbsp or 32g

• Currants, zante

  Dried

  2 tbsp or 18g

• Pine nuts

  Nuts, dried

  2 tbsp or 17g

• Cinnamon

  Spices, ground

  1 tbsp or 8g

• Spearmint

  Fresh

  1 tbsp or 6g

• Dill

  Fresh

  1 tbsp or 0.6g

• Allspice

  Spices, ground

  1 tsp or 2g

• Cumin

  Spices, cumin seed

  1 tsp, ground or 3g

• Grape leaves

  Canned

  100g

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender. Stir in rice and hot water to cover. Cover and simmer until rice is half cooked, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, mint leaves, dill weed, allspice and cumin. Let mixture cool.
3. Prepare a large pot by placing an inverted plate on the bottom; this protects the dolmas from direct heat when steaming.
4. Rinse grape leaves in warm water; drain and cut off any stems. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cooled rice mixture in the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides and then roll into a cigar shape. Place in prepared pot. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
5. Pour in just enough warm water to reach the bottom of the first layer of dolmas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, or until rice is totally cooked. Check the water level often and add more as necessary.