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authentic Dwali recipe

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Palestinian Dwali)

Dwali, also known as stuffed grape leaves, are a Middle Eastern delicacy! Palestinian stuffed grape leaves are my all time favorite food to eat and they are so worth the time and effort it takes to prepare them. My stuffed grape leaf recipe is one that I learned from my Jordanian mother in law and aunt that took me years to master but tastes like a 10/10 every time. If you want to learn how to make authentic dwali, follow along where I bring you a traditional stuffed grape leaf recipe with everything measure to the t!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Arabic, Jordanian, Palestinian, Syrian
Servings 5 people
Calories 60 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

For the stuffed grape leaf filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups Egyptian (short grain) rice
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon curry powder
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped mint
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
  • 1 small minced tomato
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 250 grape leaves approximately, depending on size of leaf

For cooking the grape leaves:

  • 4-5 pounds Lamb (bone in)
  • 2 lg yellow onions, sliced
  • 3 lemons, sliced
  • 1 lg carrot, sliced
  • 1 lg potato, sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 stock cube
  • ½ tsp Arabic 7 spices
  • salt to taste
  • olive oil
  • pomegranate molasses

Instructions
 

How to make the stuffed grape leaf filling:

  • Start by sautéing the chopped yellow onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft and the onion is starting to caramelize.
    Wash the rice very well until water runs clear. Add the sauteed onion, garlic, and all the other ingredients.
    2 cups Egyptian (short grain) rice, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon curry powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ cup fresh chopped mint, ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, ¼ cup fresh chopped dill, 1 small minced tomato, 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
    authentic stuffed grape leaf filling
  • Simmer your grape leaves about 5 minutes until they start to turn from green to a darker brown. Remove grape leaves from water and place them on a plate in a stack and you can start rolling the leaves!
    grape leaves from Jordan
  • Lay out about 15-20 grape leaves flat and then add about 1-2 teaspoons of the rice filling. You can add more or less of the filling depending on how big your grape leaf is.
    filling grape leaves with vegetarian rice stuffing
  • To roll a grape leaf, tuck edges in first and then roll to the end of the leaf. You do want to roll them pretty tight! If grape leaves are rolled too loose they can fall apart when cooking.
    Stack rolled grape leaves in a container as you work. Your rolled grape leaves can be stored in the fridge up to 3 days if you don't have enough time to cook them that day.
    Dwali stuffed grape leaves recipe 5

How to cook stuffed grape leaves:

  • In the bottom of a large pot, add potato slices, tomato slices, carrot slices, and onion slices to cover the bottom of the pot. You don't want the lamb to be in contact with the bottom of the pot.
    authentic arabic stuffed grape leaf recipe
  • Next, add your cooked lamb. (I cooked mine in my pressure cooker for 20 minutes with Arabic 7 spices and onion.) You can also boil your lamb with onion and spices till a buttery tender texture.
    cooking lamb for stuffed grape leaves
  • Sprinkle the top of the lamb with the stock cube, salt (taste the lamb and add more salt to taste if needed), and Arabic 7 spices.
    Add lemon slices and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
    how to cook authentic arabic grape leaves
  • Add a layer of rolled grape leaves, about half of the grape leaves.
    authentic middle eastern stuffed grape leaf recipe
  • Add more tomato slices, onion slices, lemon slices on top of grape leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and pomegranate molasses.
  • Add your second layer of rolled grape leaves.
  • Finally add more tomato slices, onion slices, lemon slices. Drizzle with olive oil and pomegranate molasses.
    Cover your pot with a heavy heat safe plate.
    Add boiling hot water until it is 1 inch under the grape leaves.
    Cook on low heat until the grape leaves are done, you can take them out and taste to see if the rice is cooked. It took me about 2 hours to cook them. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the juice of 1 fresh lemon.
  • Remove the plate and then invert the pot of stuffed grape leaves onto a serving platter. Garnish with pomegranate jewels. Enjoy! My most favorite meal of all time!
    authentic Dwali recipe

Video

Notes

I use grape leaves, dried, and then re hydrated in boiling water that my in laws grew in Madaba Jordan! If you are using canned grape leaves, there may be no need to boil them, or just boil a minute or two to get rid of the vinegar taste.
Fresh grape leaves are always best so if you see them in the wild pick them! You can easily preserve them by freezing them stacked on top of each other flat in air tight bags. Don't cook or boil them before freezing, just freeze them rinsed and patted dry in a pile.
Nutrition facts for any recipe on thehintofrosemary are only an estimate and not a guarantee.

Nutrition

Serving: 1stuffed grape leafCalories: 60kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 1gFiber: 0.5g
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