#STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES UPGRADE#

Cover the pot and cook the quinoa on a high flame for about 6 minutes. For every one-cup of quinoa use double the amount of water. Please tag me if you’ve tried this! It’s such a special recipe.Since you are cooking the grape leaf after you stuff it, cook the quinoa for half the time. The rolls will absorb all of the lemon/oil/water and become morsels of flavour-magic.įor the best flavour, allow to cool and place in the fridge before serving.

Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a low simmer and let the Sarma cook for 60 minutes. Top up the pot with just enough water to ensure all of the Sarma is submerged. Pour over your lemon juice and olive oil bath, and then add a heat-proof plate (face down) to the top of the rolls. When you’re done wrapping, cover the rolls in the pot with a layer of grape leaves. Line the Sarma over the leaves in your pot and when you add the next layer, align them in the opposite direction every time you add a level. This is to prevent the Sarma from falling apart as it cooks, and you also can’t roll too tightly as they might explode! Filling and Rolling Armenian Sarma Then fold over each side and apply gentle but firm pressure as you roll. Roll one bottom up, followed by the other. Place a heaping teaspoon of your mixture close to the stem. Also save a few ‘imperfect’ leaves to cover the top of your Sarma, to protect them as they cook.įor the roll, take a sharp knife and remove the stem and place it shiny side down. You will find that some of the grape leaves are torn– save these and line the bottom of your heavy cooking pot with them. I usually soak the leaves for a few minutes, then rinse and repeat 2-3 times. Rinse the brine off of the leaves after you pull them out of the jar. I would strongly advise avoiding fresh leaves that have been sprayed with pesticides.

Hopefully you can find grape leaves that are bottled in brine, otherwise you can pick them straight off the grapevine in early spring/summer when they are tender and then blanch them in boiling water. I’m privileged to live in a part of Toronto that has many incredible middle eastern grocery stores. Sarma Ingredients Armenian Sarma: Cooking and Rolling Techniques You serve this one cold!īut really, who needs a dinner party to make these? They won’t last long. This is definitely a great recipe to make one or two days before a dinner party as the flavour just gets better as it chills in the fridge. She sometimes left out the pine nuts, replaced them with walnuts or she even made them with chickpeas from time to time. There is another Sarma that has ground beef and rice in it, which I will definitely make for this blog, however I always hoped that the Sarma I found on the table at our family gatherings was this vegetarian version. This is one of those dishes where you grab your best friend or partner and you sit together rolling juicy cigars from grape leaves while you ‘chenneh’ or gossip about the latest. Sarma isn’t difficult to make, it’s simply time consuming. I strongly encourage you to take the time to make this impressive vegan appetizer if you haven’t already.

#STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES UPGRADE#

Armenian Sarma has that thousand-watt lemon and olive oil taste– and this recipe adds an upgrade of tomato, hot pepper paste, Aleppo pepper and another zing of pomegranate molasses. Sarma is cousin to the Greek Dolmades, however this Armenian staple has a very unique and incredibly delicious flavour.

Stuffed grape leaves