🍟 Side Dishes

Vegan Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma

Yaprak Sarma is a classic beloved Turkish meze: tender vine leaves wrapped around a fragrant filling of rice, herbs, and sweet‑savoury seasonings, slow‑cooked in olive oil. This fully vegan version follows the authentic zeytinyağlı (olive oil) style — no meat, butter, or dairy — resulting in delicate, tangy, and perfectly balanced flavours that taste even better when chilled.

Shared by mcgraner

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Time

85 min

Serves

Difficulty

medium

🛒 Ingredients

#Vine Leaves
250g brined vine leaves (drained and rinsed well to remove excess salt)
Warm water for soaking
#Filling
180g short‑grain rice or baldo rice, rinsed thoroughly
1 large onion, very finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pine nuts (optional, toasted lightly)
1 tbsp dried currants or raisins (optional, for subtle sweetness)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint or 1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground allspice
Salt to taste
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses or lemon juice
300–350ml warm water or vegetable stock
#For Cooking
3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2–3 slices of lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
Small plate to press down while cooking

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1
Prep the leaves: Soak rinsed vine leaves in warm water for 10–15 minutes to soften; drain and pat dry gently. Trim off any tough stems.
2
Make the filling: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent. Add pine nuts and cook until pale golden. Stir in rinsed rice and toast for 2 minutes. Add currants, herbs, sugar, spices, salt, pepper, pomegranate molasses, and 100ml water. Simmer gently until liquid is absorbed and rice is partially cooked. Let cool completely — cold filling prevents leaves from tearing.
3
Wrap: Lay a leaf flat, shiny side down. Place 1 teaspoon of filling near the stem end. Fold the sides in, roll up tightly from the bottom like a small cylinder — do not overfill, as rice will expand. Repeat until filling is used.
4
Cook: Arrange rolls seam‑side down tightly in a wide pot, layering with lemon slices between layers if you like. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Pour in warm water until it reaches just below the top layer of sarma. Place a flat plate on top to keep them from unrolling while cooking.
5
Simmer: Bring to a gentle boil, lower heat to minimum, cover, and simmer for 45–50 minutes until rice is fully tender and liquid is mostly absorbed.
6
Rest & Serve: Turn off heat and let cool completely in the pot — flavours deepen as they cool. Serve chilled or at room temperature with extra lemon wedges and fresh herbs.