Dolma: Stuffed Grape Leaf Snack with Brown Rice

Dolmas come about often in my kitchen, but in various avatars each time. Stuffed Kohlrabi dolma, or stuffed Swiss chard dolma, and even stuffed Collard greens dolma are fun to make.

Now that grape leaves are handy in the backyard, the traditional grape leaf dolmas come about on and off. Blanching the grape leaves is the first step: just dunk them in boiling water for a few minutes and then plunge them in ice water to make them pliable and ready for stuffing.

The stuffing/filling, sometimes, is just leftovers that works well. And sometimes, it is tailor-made, like this time: a mix of chewy brown and wild rice with onions and dried fruits and nuts and Swiss chard from the garden.

Additionally, I steam the tightly wrapped filled dolmas; if steaming is not an option, then, place them in a pan with about half an inch of water and allow the water to boil, cover or weigh them down, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

I like them better as leftovers the next day, served at room temperature or chilled, with some tahini-yogurt-based dip.