Is there any alternative to rice?

Yes, you can use bulgur or freekeh instead of rice.

Why not add lemon juice from the beginning?

Adding fresh lemon juice at the beginning might slow down cooking the leaves, for best results, it's better to add it halfway through cooking.

What do grape leaves taste like?

Grape leaves are tender and have a light citrusy, green, and tangy taste.

Warak Dawali

Name: Warak Dawali
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Palestinian - Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 cups Egyptian or cal-rose rice, washed and rinsed; 1 jar grape leaves 16oz; 1 pound ground or minced lamb or beef (or a mixture of both); 1 teaspoon allspice; 1 teaspoon salt (and an extra 1/4 of teaspoon to add while cooking); ¼ cup of neutral or olive oil; ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice (as needed)

Description

A Palestinian celebratory meal is never complete without a pot of this delicious lemony flavorful warak dawali.

Warak dawali also known as grape leaves. To cook this dish the leaves are filled with a flavorful mixture of spiced ground beef or lamb and rice then rolled and cooked.

Ingredients

2 cups Egyptian or cal-rose rice, washed and rinsed
1 jar grape leaves 16oz
1 pound ground or minced lamb or beef (or a mixture of both)
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt (and an extra 1/4 of teaspoon to add while cooking)
1/4 cup of neutral or olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (as needed)

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Instructions

Prepare Stuffing

In a bowl, add washed and rinsed rice, meat (minced or ground), spices, salt, and olive oil.
Mix all together until well combined.
Take grape vines out of the jar, soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes, remove water, and wash them a couple of times with cold water to get rid of any residue.

Rolling Warak Dawali (grape vine leaves)

Place a grape leaf on a flat surface, vein side up, and place a spoonful of the filling in the center of the leaf.
Fold one side of the leaf over the filling.
Fold the other side of the leaf over the filling.
Then fold the bottom sides.
Then roll it tightly from the bottom to the top.
Roll it tightly from the bottom to the top, forming a compact roll.
Repeat the process until all leaves are rolled.

Cooking

Arrange the stuffed grape leaves in layers, seam side down, in the pot.
Sprinkle some salt, pour the remaining olive oil.
Cover with boiled water (fill about 3/4 of the pot).
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 45-60 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the grape leaves are tender.
Add lemon juice halfway through cooking.

Notes

Some jarred leaves come with the stems attached, make sure to remove the stem end from the leaves with a knife before rolling the leaves.
Don’t overfill the leaves, remember that the stuffing includes uncooked rice which will expand once cooked.
The leaves are usually stacked in the jar and sometimes it’s challenging to pull them out gently without tearing them, so I recommend taking them out before emptying the water.
If using fresh grape leaves, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes to soften them.
Since rolling warak dawali can be time-consuming, the process can be done a day before and kept in the fridge to be cooked the next day.
If you end up with leftovers of the rice stuffing you can use it to stuff other available vegetables in your fridge, most common and available is tomato, use a corer to core the tomato and fill it with the rice mixture and add in the pot with the grabe leaves.
It's important to soak the leaves and wash them well, leaves are stored in brine, so they would be very salty.