Waraq Aneb / Warak Areesh
Stuffed vine leaves
These are specific to the eastern Mediterranean and can be found everywhere from Cyprus to Turkey, Egypt to Lebanon. They are also enjoyed outside the region. They are the leaves of grape plants which are used to wrap a filling, usually rice, but sometimes also have minced meat added. They're usually served at room temperature as part of a mezze spread, but can be eaten hot too.
You can find the leaves either vacuum packed or preserved in brine in jars. I usually used the ones in jars. If you're lucky enough to have a grape plant, you can use fresh leaves, but they will need to be boiled to soften before use.
Ingredients
40-50 vine leaves (i use 1 roll of leaves from a jar)
1 cup of rice (short grain is better, I used Egyptian or Turkish rice for this)
1 onion, cut into small cubes
2 tomatoes, cut into small cubes
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1-2 teaspoons baharat/garam masala
salt to taste
oil
1 or 2 potatoes, slice 1 cm thick
juice of 1 lemon
Method
If using jarred leaves, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Drain and wash with cold water.
Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan and add the onion. Fry till soft, then add the garlic and cumin and fry for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and garam masala. Cook till the tomatoes soften. Now add the rice and 1 glass of water. Cook on low heat till the water is absorbed (note, the rice will be half cooked now, it will cook fully once stuffed and re cooked). Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Line a pan with the potatoes, they will act as a rack for the vine leaves to cook on. Now for the fun part!
Take a leaf and cut off the stalk. Place it on a plate/surface so that the veins of the leaf (the underneath) is facing upwards and the top of the leaf is touching the plate. Take about 1 teaspoon of the rice mixture and place at the base of the leaf, where the stalk used to be. Bring the right side of the leaf over the filling, then the left. Now roll towards the tip of the leaf to form a small parcel.
Make sure you roll tightly, you dont want loose rolls. Tightly pack these into a pan over the potatoes. Pour over the lemon juice and drizzle with some olive oil. Place a heavy plate over the rolls, this is so they dont float about in the cooking broth, as this would loosen them. Pour over some water to cover the leaves and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let the leaves cook for about 1 hour. You may need to add some water if it dries out. It doesnt matter if all the water is absorbed.
When cooked, allow to cool and then plate up. Drizzle over some olive oil and serve!
These are specific to the eastern Mediterranean and can be found everywhere from Cyprus to Turkey, Egypt to Lebanon. They are also enjoyed outside the region. They are the leaves of grape plants which are used to wrap a filling, usually rice, but sometimes also have minced meat added. They're usually served at room temperature as part of a mezze spread, but can be eaten hot too.
Ingredients
40-50 vine leaves (i use 1 roll of leaves from a jar)
1 cup of rice (short grain is better, I used Egyptian or Turkish rice for this)
1 onion, cut into small cubes
2 tomatoes, cut into small cubes
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1-2 teaspoons baharat/garam masala
salt to taste
oil
1 or 2 potatoes, slice 1 cm thick
juice of 1 lemon
Method
If using jarred leaves, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Drain and wash with cold water.
Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan and add the onion. Fry till soft, then add the garlic and cumin and fry for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and garam masala. Cook till the tomatoes soften. Now add the rice and 1 glass of water. Cook on low heat till the water is absorbed (note, the rice will be half cooked now, it will cook fully once stuffed and re cooked). Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Line a pan with the potatoes, they will act as a rack for the vine leaves to cook on. Now for the fun part!
Take a leaf and cut off the stalk. Place it on a plate/surface so that the veins of the leaf (the underneath) is facing upwards and the top of the leaf is touching the plate. Take about 1 teaspoon of the rice mixture and place at the base of the leaf, where the stalk used to be. Bring the right side of the leaf over the filling, then the left. Now roll towards the tip of the leaf to form a small parcel.
Make sure you roll tightly, you dont want loose rolls. Tightly pack these into a pan over the potatoes. Pour over the lemon juice and drizzle with some olive oil. Place a heavy plate over the rolls, this is so they dont float about in the cooking broth, as this would loosen them. Pour over some water to cover the leaves and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let the leaves cook for about 1 hour. You may need to add some water if it dries out. It doesnt matter if all the water is absorbed.
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