Armenian cuisine, as you know, is distinguished by its originality. For several millennia, Armenian cooks created delicious dishes, which were then borrowed from them by Georgian and Azerbaijani. In order to clarify a few nuances, we turn to the history of the Armenian people.
This ancient nation was repeatedly conquered, its territory for many centuries was divided into western and eastern parts. From the 17th to the beginning of the 19th centuries Armenia was under the Turkish and Persian yoke, however, the people managed to preserve their individuality, religion and culture, including Armenian cuisine. Naturally, most of the truly Armenian dishes passed to the Turks and Persians, and one of them is Armenian cabbage rolls - dolma. And for some reason, the Turks began to argue that only they know how to cook delicious cabbage rolls. You must admit that this ridiculous statement cannot be true, because there are references to how to cook delicious cabbage rolls in the ancient writings of the Armenian people.
Unlike many nations, Armenians prepare their stuffed cabbage from lamb and wrap meat not in cabbage, but in grape leaves. This tradition was inherited from them by Greeks and Georgians. It is noteworthy that the name "dolma" Armenian cabbage rolls received from the Turkish language, and it translates as "stuffed".
How to cook cabbage rolls in Armenian? For the filling you will need lamb with bones, about 600 grams, a glass of rice, preferably round, 2 onions, a bunch of greens (dill, basil, mint and cilantro), salt and pepper to taste. And, of course, grape leaves, which can be both fresh and salted.
Stuffed cabbage, the preparation of which will take not so much time, will not only please your family and friends in a quiet home environment, but also perfectly fit the festive table. The recipe is quite simple, but it requires certain skills and a little patience. In this article we will tell you about how true Armenian women cook cabbage rolls. So, the rice needs to be cooked until half cooked, or simply soaked in warm water and left for 40 minutes. Then peel the onion, rinse and chop finely and finely. Do the same with greens - rinse, dry, and chop.
Before cooking stuffed cabbage further, you need to do lamb. First of all, you need to separate the meat from the bones and pass through a meat grinder. Then take a small bowl, mix meat, rice, herbs and onions. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Everything, the mince is ready. Some Armenians add finely chopped fresh tomatoes or tomato paste to the minced meat. This is said to add flavor to the dish.
Now you need to go to the next step - processing grape leaves. They need to be doused with boiling water so that they become somewhat soft. After that, cut the stems and divide the leaves into 2 unequal parts. A large one will serve as envelopes for wrapping minced meat, and the second will be needed later.
How to cook stuffed cabbage, more precisely, how to wrap the filling in the leaves? Very simple, as in envelopes. Remember one nuance - we put the leaves with the wrong side inward, while the glossy remains on the outside. So the dish is much more beautiful.
And now, attention, the secret of real Armenian women! Remember the bones you separated from the meat? Put them on the bottom of the pan and cover with grape leaves on top. Put the cabbage rolls and pour a little water in the pan, so that it barely covers the cabbage rolls. Tightly cover it all with an inverted plate and put on the smallest fire. Dolma does not need to interfere.
When the dish is ready, it can be served. On cabbage rolls you need to pour a little sauce, which was formed during cooking. The dish is always eaten hot, and on top add the sauce of Armenian matsun or kefir mixed with garlic. The Armenian lavash is also perfect for the dish.
As you can see, dolma is noticeably different from cabbage rolls, which are cooked with cabbage leaves. If you do not remember the recipe, recall: a head of cabbage is taken with large leaves, 250 g each. pork and beef, tomatoes, 2 onions, half a glass of rice, herbs, salt, pepper to taste. You can add 2-3 cloves of garlic. Then we cook everything like an Armenian dolma, just wrap the minced meat not in grape, but in cabbage leaves, which before that have been in boiling water for about 5 minutes and have become soft.
This is how cabbage rolls are cooked! Enjoy your meal!