Kelem dolmasi

The method

1. 01

   Boil the rice for eight minutes.

2. 02

   Peel and finely chop the onion.

3. 03

   Chop the herbs.

4. 04

   Soak and rinse the chickpeas overnight, then chop/mash them slightly.

5. 05

   Mince the lamb and lamb fat.

6. 06

   Mix the minced lamb, onion, spices, chickpeas, rice, chopped herbs, and lamb fat together.

7. 07

   Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring it to a boil.

8. 08

   Pull the outer leaves off the cabbage and drop the whole cabbage into the boiling water for 3-4 minutes.

9. 09

   Carefully take the cabbage out of the water and let it cool for a minute.

10. 10

    Pull the leaves off the cabbage, cutting them at the base if necessary.

11. 11

    Cut out the tough stalks from the leaves and cut larger leaves in half.

12. 12

    Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of each leaf and roll tightly.

13. 13

    Place discarded cabbage leaves in the bottom of a stockpot.

14. 14

    Carefully place the dolma on top of the cabbage leaves.

15. 15

    Add water to the stockpot up to the top of the discarded leaves.

16. 16

    Weight down the dolma with a metal pie pan or oven-safe plate.

17. 17

    Bring the water to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.

18. 18

    Make a simple tomato sauce by heating the tomato puree and water over medium flame.

19. 19

    After 25 minutes, pour the sauce over the dolma and cook for another 5 minutes.