“The Turks call it dolma, the Greeks call it dolmades, the Lebanese call it warak enab, the Palestinians call it dawali, and in Hebrew, it’s a’li gefen. You can call it … yummy! Here’s how we do it in the Galilee.”

— Saeed Diabat
JDC program manager, “Hebrew as a Second Language”

Ingredients

  • About 60–70 grape leaves (We collect them from our garden!), or one jar from the supermarket
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. bokharat (Arabic seven-spice blend)
  • 1 ½ cups short-grain
  • white rice
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • Sliced tomatoes or potatoes, enough to cover the bottom of a stock pot
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Prepare the grape leaves by draining them and soaking them in a large bowl of hot water. Then, separate the leaves and stack them individually on a plate.
  2. Prepare the hashweh (stuffing) by cooking ground beef in olive oil in a large pan. Season the beef with salt and spices. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked beef and uncooked rice with the cinnamon. (For a vegetarian version, replace the ground beef with more rice, cooked potatoes, quinoa, or any ingredient of your choice.)
  3. Use a cutting board to lay out each grape leaf and place a teaspoon of the rice mixture in the center. Carefully fold from the sides and the roll, like you’re making a wrap. Repeat for all but a few of the grape leaves — you’ll save these to cover the stuffed leaves during cooking.
  4. Line the bottom of a large stock pot with a layer of sliced tomatoes or potatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows until they cover the circumference of the pot. Add spices on top and cover with the reserved unstuffed grape leaves.
  6. Place a small round plate on top of the stuffed grape leaves. This is a very important step, as it will hold them down and keep them from floating during cooking.
  7. Add water until it covers all the leaves and the plate and fills the pot. Begin cooking on medium-low heat. There’s no exact time for cooking (a large pot takes about 90 minutes). Pay attention to when the water is nearly absorbed, as that’s your signal the stuffed grape leaves are ready. About halfway through cooking, add the lemon juice.
  8. After cooking, cool the stuffed grape leaves, uncovered, for about 15–20 minutes before serving.