Rice Rolled in Grape Leaves: "Dawali"

Step 1: Pick young tender grape leaves in Spring.

Step 2: Boil meat, either lamb or chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Mix rice, minced tomotoes, minced mint leaves, olives oil, tumeric, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Step 2 may be omitted if minced meat is mixed with the rice.
Step 4: Prepare grape leaves by blanching or boiling them for few minutes to make it easy to roll. Discard water.

Step 5:
Put a teaspoon of rice over the center of the leaf. Roll up and then gather the two sides to the center and then roll completely. Caution: this will test your patience!

Step 6: Place the rice rolls above the meat. Simmer with meat broth for one hour or until rice is cooked. Grape leaves have natural acidity. Season with lemon salt (citric acid) if desired.

A REAL TREAT!!!

A LABOR OF LOVE!

ZAKEE (Delicious)