The delicacy of stuffed grape leaves, filled with a tantalizing mixture of lamb and rice, seasoned with a palette of Turkish spices, comprises an ideal portable treat or an appetising component of a mezze meal. The balance of slightly more rice than meat, infused with herbs, allspice, and tomato, offers an unforgettable flavor. A drizzle of olive oil and some lemon juice at the end of cooking not only gives it a glittering finish but also adds a zesty brightness, well complemented with a garlicky yogurt sauce.

Teeming with culinary diversity, stuffed grape leaves are enjoyed all across the Mediterranean, from the Greek dolmades to Lebanese warak enab. These dolmas share close relation to a variant of stuffed grape leaves enjoyed in Turkey, albeit with numerous variations within Turkey itself. The Turkish term “dolma” refers to any food that is stuffed, not limited only to grape leaves, while “sarma” refers to anything wrapped.

On your grocery outing, the international aisles usually hold jars of grape leaves in brine which could be used for making these dolmas, reminding to rinse them thoroughly before use. Fresh grape leaves, if accessible, should be washed and blanched in hot water before using.

A standard jar usually contains around 50 to 60 grape leaves which would suffice for about 36 to 40 dolmas, while leaving some for layering in the pot. The remaining could serve for your next culinary experiment or another round of dolmas. Meat-filled dolmas are usually enjoyed warm or at room temperature and can be prepared earlier or stored as leftovers. For gentle reheating, reserve any liquid in the pot and you can reheat the dolmas in a covered skillet.

Your ingredients will include grape leaves, uncooked white rice, olive oil, a medium yellow onion, fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, fresh dill, ground allspice, dried mint, kosher salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper or paprika, tomato paste, ground lamb, beefsteak tomatoes, hot water, fresh lemon juice, Greek-style yogurt, and a large garlic clove.

Follow a series of steps for cleaning, soaking, and rinsing of grape leaves, soaking and rinsing of rice, sautéing of onion and mixing in rest of the spices, and combining this with ground lamb. Assembling the dolmas involve careful placement of filling on grape leaf, folding and rolling, and then arranging them securely over sliced tomatoes in a pot, drizzling a mixture of hot water, oil, tomato paste, and after slow cooking, drizzling the final product with lemon juice and remaining oil. The accompanying yogurt dipping sauce is crafted by combining yogurt, lemon juice, water, mint, salt, and grated garlic. Serve your dolmas while hot or at room temperature with this yogurt dipping sauce on the side.