Minced meat dolma with mint in grape leaves in matsoni sauce

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   How to make a classic dolma in grape leaves? If you bought salted leaves, then they should be light and small, because large and dark are old leaves and hard. If the leaves are salty, then they need to be poured with boiling water, hold them for 20 minutes and drain this water, repeat this procedure again, but do not keep them in boiling water, but put them on fire and boil for 10 minutes, and if the leaves are young, then you can drain the boiling water for 5 minutes, put it in a colander

2. Step 2:

   

   Beef and mutton are used in Georgia, of course, they are not interfered with. Sometimes beef + pork is made. Onions and garlic are put into the minced meat, those who like spicy things put red pepper to taste. RAW round-grain rice is put into minced meat! This is very IMPORTANT! About spices and herbs. Pitna (mint) is placed in the dolma without fail. Some put regan (purple basil). Fresh mint in summer and dried mint in winter. They put a lot. Some put cilantro, but not enough: 1-2 twigs.

3. Step 3:

   

   Now we will collect our dolma. Minced meat is placed on the ribbed part of the leaves, and the smooth side of the leaf should be on top. The tails of the leaf are cut off.

4. Step 4:

   

   How to wrap dolma properly? Very simple! We roll up our stuffed cabbage in the form of an envelope.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put grape leaves on the bottom of the pan so that our dolma does not burn. And only then we put our dolma in a saucepan, in a tight circle, seam down.

7. Step 6:

   

   Fill the dolma with boiling water so that the water level is 10 cm higher than the dolma and puts a plate with a load on them so that the leaves do not unfold. If you pour a little water, the rice will absorb everything and the dolma will be dry, it may even burn. Cook over low heat for about 1 hour.

8. Step 7:

   

   Preparing the sauce. We prepare the Matzoni cheese for dolma beforehand: we take the matzoni, put it in a linen or cotton bag and hang it for a few hours to drain the liquid, and we use this matzoni for dolma.

9. Step 8:

   

   Then add crushed garlic and salt to the matzoni to taste. Our delicious sauce is ready for dolma.

10. Step 9:

    

    Now we put our "golubchiki" on a plate and serve with our delicious sauce. Bon appetit!