Go Back
Print

Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves (warak enab bi zeit)

Vegetarian version of stuffed grape leaves

Course Main Course
Cuisine Lebanese
Keyword Authentic, Healthy, vegan
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

Ingredients

  • 1 Jar 450g of grape leaves in brine or approx 60 fresh leaves
  • 2 medium sized potatoes
  • 2 large bunches of parsley
  • 8 medium sized tomatoes
  • 2-3 spring onions
  • ⅓ of a medium onion or 1 shallot
  • small handful of mint leaves
  • 2 cups of short grain rice
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon 7 spice
  • ½ cup of regular olive oil
  • 1 cup of water

Instructions

  1. If you are using fresh leaves, blanche them in hot water for five minutes and drain. If you are using grape leaves from the jar, rinse them in cold water and drain

  2. Finely chop the parsley, tomatoes, mint and onions. Add to a bowl
  3. Add the rice, salt, 7 spice, tomato concentrate, olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon to the bowl and stir well
  4. Peel the potatoes and slice approximately 1 cm thick and arrange them at the bottom of the pot

  5. Prepare your work area with one tray to roll the grape leaves beside the mixture and cooking pot

  6. Lay out one grape leaf on the tray and remove any stems

  7. Add 1 tablespoon of mixture in the middle of the grape leaf and tuck in the sides. Roll up firmly into a cigar shape. Adjust the mixture amount depending on the size of the leaf

  8. Stack the grape leaves into layers in the pot. If you have too much liquid in the mixture drain some onto the stacked leaves using a fine sieve

  9. Leave around 10cm space at the top of the pot as the grape leaves will expand when cooked

  10. When you finish rolling the grape leaves, add ½ teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water and the juice of half a lemon to make the brine

  11. Press down the grape leaves with a sturdy plate or lid one size smaller than your pot. Pour on enough brine to cover and turn the heat on to medium high

  12. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to low and remove the plate/lid. Taste the brine that has come to the surface and adjust the salt/lemon levels as necessary. Cook for another hour on the lowest heat setting.

  13. Taste one stuffed grape leaf before you turn the heat off to make sure the leaves are well done

  14. Turn the dish over onto a large platter for spectacle. Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Video