how to make sarma

G O E S W E L L W İ T H Y O G U R T !

SARMA TURKISH TRADITIONAL TASTE!

Sarma

Sarma comes from the

Turkish verb «sarmak»

which means «to wrap.»

Traditionally it is made

from grape leaves.

It can be prepared with

rice and spices

(vegetarian) or with rice

and ground meat.

Sarma is easy enough to

make; it just takes time

and patience!; it is very

delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups rice

1 tomato, diced

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 onions, shredded

200 gr (1/2 lb) grape leaves, fresh/

preserved

2/3 cup olive oil

3 cups water

½ lemon, sliced

2 tbsp dried mint

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

Grape Leaves

If you are using fresh

grape leaves, put the

leaves in boiling water

and cook for 5 minutes till

they are soft. Drain and

remove the stems.

If you are using preserved

grape leaves, just remove

the stems. Place the

stems at the bottom of

your pot or saucepan. (It

is to prevent burning the

bottom layer)

Fresh leaves

Boiled leaves

Step 1:

Add all of the

ingredients, except for

the grape leaves and the

juice of 1/2 a lemon,

into a large bowl and

mix.

Step 2:

Set the table for

rolling your

leaves.

Step 3:

Start rolling! This takes

awhile, so put on a good

movie, audio book or

some nice music. This is

definitely a multi-

tasking project.

Lay the Grape Leaf on a

Flat Surface.

Step 4:

Trim the Stem with

a Sharp Paring

Knife.

Step 5:

To Make it Easier,

You Can Overlap

the Bottom Two

Sections.

Step 6:

Place a Spoonful

of Filling on the

Leaf.

Step 7:

Fold the Lower Right

Section Over Filling.

Step 8:

Repeat with the

Lower Left Side.

Step 9:

Fold the Left

Section in Toward

the Center.

Step 10:

Overlap the Right

Side of the Leaf

Toward Center.

Step 11:

Begin to Carefully

Roll Toward the

Top.

Step 12:

Continue Rolling

Firmly Toward the

Top.

Step 13:

A Completed

Grape Leaf Roll.

Congratulations!

Step 14:

Gently pile the

leaves on a plate;

careful so they

don’t unwrap.

Step 15:

Place a few grape leaves

on the bottom of a

shallow pot so the

sarma doesn’t burn.

Carefully place the

sarma one by one from

the edges of the pot and

work toward the middle

– once bottom layer is

laid start adding

another layer until all

the sarmas are tightly

placed.

Step 16:

Drizzle a little olive oil, the juice

of 1/2 a lemon and a little water

so that the sarmas are 3/4

covered (this means that usually

the top layer is not covered by

any liquid). Take some fresh

mint leaves and a few sliced

garlic cloves and cover the

sarmas.

Almost there! Now place a plate

over the sarmas so they don’t

unwrap during cooking. Cover

the pot and cook on low heat for

35-45 minutes. After about 35

minutes test one to see if the

rice is cooked – cook for longer

accordingly.

Step 17:

Let cool and serve warm with

yogurt or by itself. They can

also be served cold. Because of

the lemon juice they keep for

about a week (especially

without meat) if covered and

refrigerated.

In Turkish they say “eline

sağlık” to the person who

prepared the dish, meaning

“health to your hands.”

In response the person says

“afiyet olsun” meaning “enjoy

the food!”

Afiyet olsun!

TEŞEKKÜR EDERİZ

"Bu proje T.C. Avrupa Birliği Bakanlığı, AB Eğitim ve Gençlik Programları Merkezi Başkanlığınca (Ulusal Ajans http://www.ua.gov.tr) yürütülen Hayatboyu Öğrenme Programı (LLP) kapsamında ve Avrupa Komisyonu'ndan sağlanan hibeyle gerçekleştirilmiştir.

Ancak burada yer alan görüşlerden Ulusal Ajans veya Avrupa Komisyonu sorumlu tutulamaz."