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Armenian pasut tolma lenten

Pasuts Tolma (Armenian Lenten Stuffed Leaves)

A hearty, wholesome dish of Armenian cuisine with an incomparable flavor! Pasuts tolma (meatless tolma) is a traditional Armenian dish. It's not just plant-based — it's genuinely delicious. It's also very practical: it keeps in the fridge for quite a while, and only gets tastier as it sits!

katyushka-vatrushka

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Sauerkraut leaves (whole, medium-sized leaves)

Grape leaves

Red kidney beans

0.5

Chickpeas

0.5

Peas

0.5

Lentils

0.5

Wheat groats

0.5

Walnuts

0.5

Onion

Vegetable oil (for frying the onion)

Garlic

Lemon juice

Herb blend (dried herbs: cilantro, coriander, parsley, dill, basil, mint, savory)

Fresh herbs (fresh parsley, cilantro, dill, and mint)

Salt

Ground black pepper

Ground red pepper

Tomato paste

Vegetable oil

0.5

Water

Lemon juice

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 20 % 5 g

Fats 24 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 56 % 14 g

129 kcal

GI: 79 / 0 / 21

Cooking method

Step 1:

Make the filling. Take kidney beans, regular peas, chickpeas, lentils, and spelt (or wheat groats) in equal amounts.
Step 2:

Soak the regular peas, lentils, and spelt in cold water for 6–8 hours, then drain in a colander.
Step 3:

Soak the chickpeas and kidney beans in cold water for 6–8 hours as well.
Step 4:

After soaking, drain and cover with fresh cold water. Cook each one separately, just to half-done. Salt them 5 minutes before taking them off the heat.
Step 5:

Drain in a colander.
Step 6:

The legumes and grain are ready. Combine them in a deep bowl.
Step 7:

Dice the onion into medium cubes and fry it in plenty of vegetable oil until golden!
Step 8:

Add it to the legumes and mix.
Step 9:

Add the dried herbs.
Step 10:

Add the finely chopped fresh herbs and mix.
Step 11:

Add the grated garlic and the coarsely chopped walnuts.
Step 12:

Mix. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and mix again. The filling is ready.
Step 13:

Unfold the grape leaves and rinse them in cold water. If they're a little tough, pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 10–15 minutes.
Step 14:

Then trim the stems off the leaves right at the base.
Step 15:

Sauerkraut leaves need no extra prep if they were fermented with just a little salt! If they're very salty, soak them briefly in cold water too. Cut out or flatten the thick ribs. Cut large leaves in half.
Step 16:

Now the rolling. Don't wrap too tightly, since the legumes and grain swell a bit more as they cook — but don't wrap too loosely either.
Step 17:

If the grape leaves are very thin and small, use two with an overlap. The tolma shouldn't be too tiny.
Step 18:

Use two pots (not enameled, one for each kind of tolma). Pour a little vegetable oil into the bottom and pack the tolma in snugly side by side.
Step 19:

Once you've finished the first layer, start the next one.
Step 20:

Make the cooking liquid. Stir a couple of spoonfuls of tomato paste into water, season with a little salt, squeeze in the lemon juice, and pour it over the tolma.
Step 21:

The liquid should come almost to the top of the tolma — add water if needed. Drizzle vegetable oil over the top.
Step 22:

Set an inverted flat plate (with no metallic or gold trim) on top of the tolma, one slightly smaller than the pot's diameter. This is a must for any tolma — it keeps the rolls from floating, unrolling, or falling apart, so they look very neat after cooking. Cover with the lid, bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about an hour.
Step 23:

Then turn off the heat and don't touch the tolma until it's completely cool, then refrigerate it. It's best eaten starting the next day — it really needs to rest. If you cooked it in an aluminum pot, transfer it to a more suitable container after a couple of hours in the fridge.
Step 24:

Pasuts tolma is eaten cold! An hour or two ahead, take out the portion you plan to eat and let it come to room temperature — it tastes better that way. Enjoy!