Got Myself A Cryin', Talkin', Sleepin', Walkin', Living Dolmasi

NATIONAL DISH OF AZERBAIJAN - Yarpag Dolmasi

So it's becoming apparent that food is not aware of geo-political boundaries, with many dishes spanning several countries. I first found this out with West African nations and their Peanut Stews and Fufu, although variations of the dish exist in each country. And with researching Yarpag Dolmasi I found they were the Azerbaijani variation of dolma, a dish that can be found from the Balkans to Central Asia. This underlying factor results in it sometimes being hard to choose a national dish for a certain country. Thankfully, this is not the case with Azerbaijan since the Azerbaijanis have put their own spin on the dolma.

Yarpag Dolmasi is grape leaves stuffed with minced lamb, rice and herbs. These ingredients alone had me salivating, added that I am a massive fan of Greek dolmades (enough even to throw them a parade Denise!) Now here is where I thought I hit a snag. I wasn't sure where I could pick up some grape leaves, short of sneaking into a vineyard and pilfering some. But then I'd have to get me some wine from the cellar door, and this would only lead to a drunken attempt at the Azerbaijani national dish. FAIL!

Thankfully I live in the glorious multi-cultural city of Melbourne, which has a multitude of international markets and supermarkets. Also I drive around a bit for my job so am conveniently close to many of these wonderful stores.  I found a few Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food wholesalers in Brunswick, and lady luck was on my side for after entering the first store (Basfoods) I found grape leaves right away. Not to mention plenty of yummy Mediterranean confectionery (Turkish Delight anyone?).

So off home I took my goodies, ready for some grape leaf wrapping fun. YO YO YO!!!


So enjoy, or as they say in Azerbaijan, Nuş olsun!




Here's the recipe for the Azerbaijani dolmas: http://www.azcookbook.com/stuffed-grape-leaves-yarpaq-dolmasi/

Difficulty:       4 

Appearance:  3 

Taste:             5 

TOTAL:        12

The dolmas weren't that hard to make: chop, mix, wrap and cook. The only difficult thing being having to do all this one handed whilst filming. I really need to get me an assistant! Any volunteers?

The herbs gave off a lovely aroma, the dill working perfectly with the lamb and the saltiness of the grape leaves. Steaming them with melted butter infused the dolmas with a beautiful flavour as well. Unfortunately, I left them to cook for the allocated time without checking them and the underside of the bottom layer burnt. Some would just throw them out, but I scraped off the burnt parts which left me with hard lamb patties wrapped in grape leaves. It provided a different flavour to the unburnt ones, but the taste was just as good. All it needed was a dip in the dipping sauce, which complimented the lamb very well. Plus it was loaded with plenty of garlic. Perfect for in case I found myself in Mystic Falls or Bon Temps.