I ATE grape LEAVES 🍃 #shorts

[zorluvolkan]

What I have learned from this short:

* Half of Europe and Middle east calls it a variant of "Dolma" (From Turkish verb 'dolmak' = fill, be filled)
* Other half calls it a variant of "Sarma" (From Turkish verb 'Sarmak' = to roll, to wrap)

[daquanemorris]

1. Selecting the Grape Leaves

Fresh Leaves: If you are foraging or purchasing fresh grape leaves, choose young, tender leaves that are light green and free from blemishes. The best time to pick them is in late spring or early summer.
Preserved Leaves: If using jarred grape leaves, look for those packed in brine. They are typically available in international grocery stores.
2. Cleaning the Grape Leaves

For Fresh Leaves:

Rinse the leaves thoroughly under cool running water to remove any dirt or insects.
For Jarred Leaves:

Remove the grape leaves from the jar and discard the brine.
Rinse them well under cold water to eliminate excess salt and preserve flavor.
3. Blanching (for Fresh Leaves)

Blanching helps soften fresh grape leaves and makes them easier to work with.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Cut off the stems of each leaf.
Place the cleaned leaves into boiling water for about 2 minutes until they become tender but not mushy.
Using tongs, transfer the blanched leaves into an ice bath (a bowl filled with ice water) to stop the cooking process.
Once cooled, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Preparing Preserved Grape Leaves

If you’re using preserved grape leaves directly from a jar:

After rinsing, check each leaf for any tough stems and remove them carefully.
5. Storing Grape Leaves

You can store prepared grape leaves in various ways depending on your future use:

Refrigeration: Store rinsed and dried fresh or preserved grape leaves in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Freezing: For longer storage:

Layer fresh or blanched grape leaves between sheets of wax paper and place them in a sealable plastic bag before freezing. This prevents them from sticking together.
Brining: You can also preserve fresh grape leaves by packing them tightly in jars with a saltwater brine solution (1 pound of kosher salt per gallon of water). Seal tightly and store in a cool place.

6. Cooking with Grape Leaves

Once prepared, you can use grape leaves in various dishes such as stuffed grape leaves (dolmas). Here’s how to stuff them:

Lay one leaf flat on a surface with the textured side facing up.
Place about one tablespoon of filling at the base of the leaf (near where you cut off the stem).
Fold over both sides of the leaf over the filling and roll it up tightly but not too tight, allowing room for expansion during cooking.
After stuffing, arrange them seam-side down in a pot, cover with broth or water, and cook according to your recipe instructions.

[austinblevins]

This guy is the coolest. Amazing channel.

[eunicebvm]

I just want to let you know how much I enjoy your videos

[frankybanky]

In Turkey we called this dish sarma it‘s very delicious

[Kel.eclair]

My Palestinian mother-in-law came with me to pick blueberries at a farm recently. She noticed the farmer was also growing grapes, so she asked him if she could pay him for the leaves. We left with blueberries and a huge bag of grape leaves alhamdulillah!

That week she cooked a ton of dolma. I have so much to learn from her InshaAllah.

[szombathedith]

Sarma in Romania, with grape, cabbage, horseraddish or beet leaves...you can make them vegan too...

[kkaixer]

Next time try "zeytinyağlı sarma". Here is the recipe.

- **1 kg grape leaves (brined or fresh)**

**For the stuffing:**
- 125 ml olive oil (1 small tea glass)
- 3 onions
- 1 grated tomato
- 2 cups rice
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons currants
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- A handful of parsley
- 300 ml hot water (1.5 cups)

**For the topping:**
- Juice of half a lemon
- Lemon slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 500 ml hot water (2.5 cups)



**Preparation of Stuffed Grape Leaves (Sarma):**

1. **Preparing the Grape Leaves**: Soak the grape leaves in water to remove excess salt, especially if they are very salty. Changing the water and soaking again can be beneficial. It is recommended to start soaking the leaves a few hours before wrapping.

2. **Cooking the Filling**: Sauté chopped onions, pine nuts, and currants in olive oil. Add sugar and continue to sauté until the onions turn translucent. Add washed rice and continue cooking. Then, add grated tomato, salt, and spices, and mix well. Pour in water and cook the filling on low heat until the water is absorbed. After cooking, add chopped parsley and mix.

3. **Wrapping the Leaves**: Spread the grape leaves on a flat surface, place a small amount of filling on each leaf, and roll them up like cigars. Place the rolled leaves neatly in a pot, with lemon slices, lemon juice, olive oil, and sugar on top. Add enough water to cover the stuffed leaves and cook on low heat until the water is absorbed.

**Note**: If the grape leaves are still salty even after thorough washing, I recommend adding less salt to the stuffing mixture.

**How to Make Stuffed Grape Leaves with Olive Oil? Tips:**

- If the grape leaves are very salty, you should place them in a bowl and cover them with warm water for a while to reduce the saltiness.
- If the leaves still seem too salty, you should either not add salt to the stuffing or adjust the amount of salt in the stuffing according to the saltiness of the leaves.
- The rice you add to the stuffing should be washed.
- When placing the stuffing inside the leaves, be careful not to overfill them, considering that the rice will expand during cooking. Overfilling may cause the rolls to break apart.
- To prevent the rolls from falling apart during cooking, you can place a plate or a lid on top of them.


**To Prevent Olive Oil-Stuffed Grape Leaves from Darkening:**
- To keep your stuffed grape leaves shiny, drizzle olive oil on top and place lemon slices.
- To prevent them from darkening, you can cover them with extra leaves.

**How to Store Olive Oil-Stuffed Grape Leaves in the Freezer:**
- After rolling the stuffed grape leaves, you can place them in bags or containers and store them in the freezer.
- When you want to cook them, add boiling water to the frozen leaves and cook them on low heat.

[angelopalmieri]

Stuffed grape leaves are such a pleasant little snack I can eat so many of them. Unfortunately only a few places around me have them (Greek) but American Greek not fully traditional.

[spectre]

In Egypt, we call this Mah-she (stuffed) Waraa Inab (Grape leaves)
There's also a version of stuffed Cabbage and stuffed Egg Plant too
We usually stuff it with spiced rice and let it boil in broth till it reduces/soaks and cooks all the way through.

[MoneyMan-tj]

Much love brother keep spreading the positivity

[JenniferKMorin]

They sell them here as dolmades and they are delicious. The ones I get are stuffed with rice and mint leaves and a bit of olive oil coating them. Very very good.

[sklegendz]

The amount of food i'm learning how to eat and that you can eat from this channel is incredible

[SLD]

A few tips:
Use a deeper pot, add LOTS of lemon juice before cooking, and steam for longer.

[giomartino]

"Woman GET yo damn hands out my shit get ya own." 😂

[dhiaab]

This is a middle eastern dish called Warak Inab

[respectpleasethankyou]

Such excellence Great music choice too ❤

[nightwishn]

That's one of the most delicious and most famouse traditional middle Eastern dishes but done differently most famouse. Turkiye Egypt Lebanon Syria and each of those countries do it in their own way and they are all delicious

[alaaeidi]

😂 اطيب اكلة عنا بسوريا في منها مع لحمة و في نباتية صحة وهنا ان شاء الله

[sasanrad]

We call it "dolmeh - دُلمه" in iran but with more ingredients like ground meat or chicken