Where it comes from
Introduced to Algeria during the Ottoman era (the name derives from Turkish dolma, 'to be filled'), dolma is an economical everyday family dish across the country.
On the plate
Spoon into a stuffed potato and the rice-meat center is moist, fragrant with cinnamon and parsley, while the vegetable shell has gone silky in the bright tomato-lemon broth. It's homey, gentle and deeply comforting.
How it works
Braising the vegetables in shared liquid lets each one perfume the sauce while the rice absorbs broth and swells to bind the filling; a touch of lemon keeps the tomato sauce bright rather than heavy.
Variations
All-meat stuffing or vegetarian rice-only stuffing; cabbage-leaf dolma; artichoke (qarnoun) dolma; white sauce versions without tomato.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 50 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 112 min
Mix minced beef or lamb with rinsed rice, grated onion, parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper to make the stuffing.
- 218 min
Hollow out potatoes, zucchini and onions, and cut tops off peppers and tomatoes to form cups; reserve the trimmings.
- 312 min
Pack each vegetable firmly with the meat-and-rice filling, leaving a little room for the rice to swell.
- 48 min
Lightly brown the stuffed potatoes and zucchini in olive oil to set their shape.
- 56 min
Arrange all the stuffed vegetables snugly in a wide pot with chickpeas and the reserved trimmings.
- 64 min
Pour over a sauce of water, tomato, garlic, a pinch of cinnamon and lemon juice until the vegetables are half submerged.
- 745 min
Cover and braise gently until the rice is cooked through, the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced.
- 85 min
Rest off the heat for a few minutes, then serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
