Armenian pasuts tolma lean

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 1 day

1. STEP 1

   

   Let's prepare the filling. We take beans, regular peas, chickpeas, lentils and spelt in equal proportions.

2. STEP 2

   

   Soak regular peas, lentils and spelt in cold water for 6-8 hours. Then drain in a colander.

3. STEP 3

   

   Also soak chickpeas and red beans in cold water for 6-8 hours.

4. STEP 4

   

   After the specified time, drain the water and fill it with fresh cold water. Let them cook separately. It is worth cooking until half cooked. Salt 5 minutes before removing from heat.

5. STEP 5

   

   Place in a colander.

6. STEP 6

   

   The ingredients are ready. Mix them in a deep plate.

7. STEP 7

   

   Cut the onion into medium cubes and fry in a large amount of vegetable oil until golden!

8. STEP 8

   

   Add to the beans and stir.

9. STEP 9

   

   Add dried herbs.

10. STEP 10

    

    Add finely chopped herbs and mix.

11. STEP 11

    

    Add grated garlic and coarsely chopped nuts.

12. STEP 12

    

    Mix. Salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and mix again. The filling is ready.

13. STEP 13

    

    The grape leaves need to be unwrapped and washed with cold water. If they are too harsh, then you need to pour boiling water over them and leave for 10-15 minutes.

14. STEP 14

    

    Then you need to cut the stems from the leaves to the very root.

15. STEP 15

    

    Sauerkraut leaves do not require any additional processing if they are fermented with a little salt! If they are very salty, then they also need to be soaked briefly in cold water. Thick veins are removed or beaten off. Cut large leaves into two parts.

16. STEP 16

    

    Wrapping stage. Do not wrap very tightly, since the legumes and cereals will swell a little more during cooking. But not too loose either.

17. STEP 17

    

    If the grape leaves are too tender and small, take two overlapping. Pasuts tolma should not be very small.

18. STEP 18

    

    We take two pans (not enameled, for two types of dolma). Pour a little vegetable oil into the bottom and place the tolmas close to each other.

19. STEP 19

    

    Having finished the first row, we proceed to the next one.

20. STEP 20

    

    Preparing the filling. We dilute a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste with some water, add a little salt, squeeze lemon juice into it and pour in the tolma.

21. STEP 21

    

    The juice should reach almost to the very top of the dolma. If necessary, you can add water. Pour vegetable oil over the top of the tolma.

22. STEP 22

    

    Cover the top of the dolma with an inverted flat plate (without gilding), with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the pan. This is a must when cooking any dolma. This way it doesn’t float, doesn’t unfold, doesn’t fall apart and looks very neat after cooking. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for about an hour.

23. STEP 23

    

    After that, turn off the fire and do not touch the tolma until it cools down, then put it in the refrigerator. It is better to eat it starting from the next day. She must definitely endure. If you cooked dolma in an aluminum pan, then after keeping it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, it is better to transfer it to another, more suitable container.

24. STEP 24

    

    They eat Pasuts tolma cold! 1-2 hours before, remove the small portion you are going to eat from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature. It tastes better this way! Bon appetit!