boiling water to cover the the stuffed grape leaves (or vegetable or chicken broth)
Instructions
For the rice stuffing:
Soak the Egyptian rice for 20 minutes or so, then rinse with cold water until water runs clear.
Place rice in a large bowl and add the tomato, onion, parsley, garlic, spices, and olive oil and stir well to combine. Add the raw minced lamb, and stir to evenly incorporate into the rice mixture. It might be easier to use your hands to work the meat into the rice.
To stuff:
Place the vine leaves in a bowl of hot water for 3 minutes. This helps them lose a little of the brininess. Drain, and gently separate vine leaves.
Stuff the cored zucchini and eggplant until 3/4 filled with rice. Use your finger to pack them firmly. Set aside.
Stuff the vine leaves by placing an individual leaf with the tip pointing upwards, placing a heaped teaspoon of the rice stuffing in the center of the vine leave, folding sides towards the center, then rolling from the bottom upwards, tucking in the sides of the vine leaves as you go. It's like you're making a sandwich wrap. Keep going until you've finished all the stuffing.
To assemble:
Place a layer of tomatoes at the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Layer your potato slices on top of the tomato. This will keep the vine leaves touching the bottom of the pan from burning, plus they are delicious.
Season the lamb chops or lamb neck with salt and pepper, and place on top of the potato slices.
Place the stuffed zucchini and eggplant in a ring around the circumference of the pot, then gently place the stuffed vine leaves in an even layer filling the rest of the pot, like pictured above.
Drizzle olive oil over the top of the filled pot. Add boiling water to the pot, pouring at the edge of the pot until the water just comes to the top layer of the vine leaves- the top layer shouldn't be submerged. Sprinkle with salt to season. Place a plate on top of the vine leaves to hold them down so the vine leaves don't float around while cooking. Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let the fluid in the pot come to a simmer. Simmer for anywhere between 1.5-2.5 hours, or until vine leaves and stuffed vegetables are cooked through and the rice inside is cooked through. Start checking at the 1 hour mark. 15 minutes before you take the pot off the heat, add the lemon juice.
Once the meal is ready, flip the vine leaves onto a large serving plate carefully, make sure it has higher edges because a lot of broth will come out. Serve immediately and enjoy with some yogurt on the side. These are also very tasty at room temperature or cold!
Video
Notes
The amount of time it takes to cook this dish varies! Don't over think it, just keep checking past the hour and once the rice inside the vine leaves is soft and cooked through, the dish is ready!Stuff any vegetables you like, try tomatoes, bell peppers, any type of squash, potatoes, etc.You can make these vegetarian grape leaves by omitting the lamb chops in the pan and making the rice filling without the ground lamb.Storing leftover grape leaves:Store the stuffed warak enab in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Eat either cold or warmed up. You can also freeze them either cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months.
