Sarma is a dish specific to Turkish cuisine. All known recipes from Central Asia to Anatolia and even Finland. It is a dish that belongs only to Turks.

Dolma Turkish for stuffed is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Turkish or Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside a vegetable or a leaf wrapping.

Sarma, aka Turkish stuffed grape leaves, it’s surely a center piece on the table.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 middle-sized onions
• 2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 tsp of pine nuts (optional)
• 1 tsp of each salt, sugar,black pepper,cinnamon,chili flakes
• 250 gr. grape leaves (I advice you to wash the leaves a couple of times until its no longer briny)

for the cooking sauce:

• juice of a small lemon
• ½ cup of water
• 1 cup of hot water (you should cook the grape leaves until they become soft)

HOW TO MAKE IT?

1. Chop the onions
2. In a wide pan add olive oil and chopped onions. Sautee the onions, stirring frequently until their color change about 4 minutes.
3. Add washed and drained rice. Stir for a couple of minutes.
4. Add salt, sugar, cinnamon,black pepper, chili flakes and continue stirring.
5. Add about 1 cup hot water and cook until the rice soaks the water.
6. Turn off the heat and let it cool down to handle.
7. Add the rice stuf inside the leaves and roll them.
8. Place sarmas into the pan, add the sauce and cook them about 1 hour.
9. Let the sarmas cool completely and transfer it to a plate. Drizzle extra more olive oil and serve cold as a appetizer or as a light lunch or side dish.