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Tolma

Name: Tolma
Total time: 120 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Armenia
Ingredients: 30 (brined) Grape Leaves; 400g Mixed ground meat; 1/2 cup Raw rice; 1 Onion; 1 tbsp Tomato paste; 1 tsp Dried mint; A pinch Cilantro; A pinch Basil; 1 tsp Salt; A pinch Black Pepper; 200g Plain yogurt; 2 cloves Garlic

Main Dish

⏱ 120 min

👥 Serves 6

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Ground meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves, simmered, and served with garlic yogurt — a traditional Armenian dish.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Tolma is a wrapped dish eaten widely in the South Caucasus and the Middle East; in Armenia the signature version wraps meat and rice in grape leaves. There are also cabbage-wrapped versions and eggplants or peppers stuffed with filling. It's so beloved that Armenia holds an annual tolma festival. It's eaten with matsoun (yogurt) mixed with garlic.

🌆 Where it's eaten: On a Sunday afternoon, the family gathers around the kitchen table, spreading grape leaves one by one and deftly rolling small tolma.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 6)

Grape Leaves 30 (brined)
Mixed ground meat 400g
Raw rice 1/2 cup
Onion 1
Tomato paste 1 tbsp
Dried mint 1 tsp
Cilantro A pinch
Basil A pinch
Salt 1 tsp
Black Pepper A pinch
Plain yogurt 200g
Garlic 2 cloves

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Rinse the grape leaves in water to remove the salt and pat dry.
Mix the ground meat with the rinsed rice, chopped onion, dried mint, chopped cilantro and basil, salt, and pepper.
Place filling on the underside of a leaf, fold in the bottom and then the sides, and roll up tightly.
Line the bottom of a pot with leftover leaves, pack the tolma in snugly, and weigh down with a plate.
Pour in water mixed with tomato paste to just cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.
Serve with yogurt mixed with grated garlic.

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