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Stuffed grape leaves with vegan white béchamel sauce

Stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia yialantzi) with vegan béchamel (white) sauce

Delicious jalandzi dolmadas with béchamel. All vegan :) And videos with instructions on how to wrap them, but also how to avoid common mistakes.

Course Appetizers, appetizer

Cuisine Greek, Greek / Vigan (vegan), Greek Traditional, Middle East, Asia Minor, Turkish

Keyword grape leaves, vegan, stuffed, yialantzi, koupepia, fasting, lenten, dolmadakia, wrapping, rolling, vegetarian, plantbased

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Rolling 1 30

Total Time 2 30

Servings appetizers (about 80 dolmadakia, depending on the size of the leaves)

Calories 26kcal

Author Thodoris Tibilis

Ingredients

Ingredients for stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia)

250 g grape leaves (8.8 oz)
1 cup rice (uncooked) arborio or basmati
1 cup water or vegetable broth (preferably the broth)
2 tomatoes grated on the coarse side
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 large carrot grated on the fine side
2 cups fresh mint finely chopped
½ cup dill
1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped (optional)
½ cup olive oil
1½ lemon juice (the juice)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp curry
salt and pepper

Ingredients for béchamel

2 Tbsp tahini
2 lemons (the juice)
1 tsp mustard
½ cup vegetable broth or water (you might need more, depending on the liquidness you prefer)
1 Tbsp dill finely chopped (optional)
salt

Instructions

Grape leaves

Whenever possible, use fresh grape leaves.
If you use packed grape leaves, use them as they are, unless stated otherwise on the jar.
If you use fresh grape leaves, wash them and then immerse them in boiling water only for a few seconds. Half to one minute is enough, depending on how tender they are. We don't boil them for long, because they will disintegrate. Separate the grape leaves that are stuck together (at least so they're not too many stuck together) so that they boil as evenly as possible. Gently separate them as much as you can before putting them in the pot, but also after putting them in, using a wooden spoon. The secret to avoiding sticking to each other is to put two tablespoons of olive oil in the water.
If the grape leaves are too tender, you can simply wash them and use them directly.
If you use frozen grape leaves (see notes), remove them from the freezer to defrost completely. Otherwise, they might break while rolling them. When the weather is warm, all it takes is a few hours to defrost them, and when it's cold we take them out the freezer the night before.

Filling

Wash the rice well and strain it.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil, over medium to high heat, and sauté the onion together with the cumin and curry for 2 minutes.
Then, add the garlic, stir and immediately add the rice, and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes.
Next, add the water (or broth) and cook over low heat for 1 minute or until a lot of liquid has evaporated.
Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on, and add all the other ingredients for the stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia). Mix well and let the flavors set for 5 minutes.
Taste and add salt, pepper, and lemon, if necessary. Depending on your preferences you can add extra mint, dill, and parsley.

Rolling

Instructions on how to roll the stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia) can be found in the video or written instructions below.

Video - How to roll stuffed grape leaves and how to avoid the most common mistakes:

Instructions - How to roll the stuffed grape leaves and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Separate a grape leaf from the rest with gentle movements to avoid tearing it.
Place it on a flat surface (e.g. plate or cutting board) with its hard side (the one with the leaf's nerves) facing up (i.e. looking at it). Rotate it accordingly so that the stalk side is closer to you and its tip on the other side.
Using a teaspoon take some filling and place it in the center of the grape leaf and a little lower, towards the stalk. Spread it horizontally, leaving a gap to the right and left. For a medium grape leaf, a teaspoon is enough. Adjust the amount of filling, depending on the size of the leaf.
Wrap tightly and without leaving "holes". To achieve this:
- a) Using both hands, take the two lower "edges" of the grape leaf (right and left of the stalk) and roll them towards the filling. Make sure these two "edges" overlap each other, and leave no space between them, to avoid the filling from coming out during cooking.
- b) Continue rolling it tightly. That is, rolling the bottom of the leaf towards its tip until it's completely wrapped. If at some point it's not easy to roll it upwards, slightly pull the dolmadaki towards you.
- c) As you roll, if you meet "edges" that stick out of the stuffed grape leaf (right and left), fold them inwards, so that they are integrated into the dolmadaki.
- d) Tighten well the small roll that has been created and continue to roll towards the tip of the leaf, keeping it very tight.
- e) Continue rolling very tightly until you reach the tip of the leaf and is no longer visible.
Place each dolmadaki you roll in the pot or pan you'll cook it in. In concentric circles, if you put it in a pot or in rows, parallel to each other if it is a baking pan. Before proceeding with this step, read the following about cooking.

Cooking

You can cook them in a pot, in the oven or steam them:
a)
In a pot
Lay a few grape leaves at the bottom of the pot and place the stuffed grape leaves in a circular arrangement (in concentric circles). Add water or vegetable broth to slightly cover them. Put a plate on top of the stuffed grape leaves so that they don't bounce and dissolve during cooking. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Alternatively, lay lemon slices on the bottom of the pot, with or without grape leaves laid out on top, but in this case, the stuffed grape leaves at the bottom will have a more intense lemon flavor.
(b)
Steamed
Heat 4 cups of vegetable broth or water in the special utensil that adjusts in the pot, and when it boils reduce to medium-low heat and place the stuffed grape leaves on top in a circular arrangement. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes.
You can also use a
. c)
In the oven
Lay the stuffed grape leaves in the baking pan in rows, parallel to each other. Add 4 cups vegetable broth or water and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees/392°F for 40 minutes. After 30 minutes check to make sure they still have some water/broth to continue boiling in. If absorbed, add another cup of vegetable broth or water.

Béchamel

Mix thoroughly all the béchamel ingredients. If you want it thicker, add ½ tsp tahini. If you want it more liquid, add 1 tsp vegetable broth or water.

Serving

Serve cold, as an appetizer, with freshly chopped lemon, olive oil, and lemon sauce, vegan béchamel or vegan Greek tzatziki sauce.
We can also serve them, as seen in the photo, with Kalamata olives and fresh mint leaves. That way, we will have a beautiful and very tasty dish.

Video

Notes

In order to have fresh grape leaves all year long, you can buy a large amount of them in early springtime, when they're fresh and most likely not sprayed. Wash them, boil them for 15 seconds, and then lay them on a towel to dry well. Divide them into packages of 250 grams/8.8 oz, or as much as you want, put them in airtight closed bags, and store them in the freezer.
You can add other vegetables and herbs, such as zucchini, eggplant, spring onions, and red or green pepper, or go for bolder options such as fennel leaves or fresh ginger. But also spices such as smoked paprika, fenugreek, as well as mustard powder, ginger powder, and ground coriander.
If you have some filling left, keep 4-6 grape leaves, lay them on top of the last layer of stuffed grape leaves and spread the filling on top.
If you have a few grape leaves left, cook them along with the dolmadakia. They are wonderful as they are, but also with béchamel, or extra lemon and salt.

Nutrition