Warak Enab (Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Warak Enab is a Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves which has fillings of rice, ground beef and other spices & herbs,
Ingredients
- 40 to 50 grape leaves
- 1 and ½ cup of uncooked white rice
- 150 gram of ground beef
- 1 cup of chopped white onion
- ⅓ cup of chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon of allspice
- ¼ teaspoon of cumin
- 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Black pepper for taste
Tomato Broth
- Water Estimate based on the size of a cooking pot
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
- Preparing the Grape Leaves
- Soak the Grape Leaves in tepid or warm water for few seconds.
- Remove it from the water, dry it using clean clothes, and transfer it to a plate.
- Repeat the rest of the Grape leaves. Set aside.
- Cooking the Rice Fillings
- Add olive oil to the pan and wait until it becomes hot.
- Add chopped white onion. Stir for few minutes or till it turns translucent
- Add the ground beef and stir to combine. Let it cook till the juices fully evaporate
- Add the uncooked white rice, chopped coriander leaves, allspice & cumin. Stir to combine
- Add salt and black pepper for taste. Stir one more time before turning off the fire.
- Wrapping the Grape Leaves
- Place each grape leaves on a plate. The tip of the leaves must be pointed upward
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice filling into the center of the leaves
- Fold them on both sides and roll from bottom to top. The grape leaves must be wrapped and rolled tight enough to make sure the rice filling will not go out when simmering.
- Repeat the rest of the grape leaves. Set aside.
- Assembling and Cooking
- In a cooking pot, add slices of potatoes, tomatoes, and the remaining grape leaves.
- Next, place the remaining the stuffed grape leaves on the cooking pot.
- Add a heat-proof plate to the cooking pot. This will help hold the stuffed grape leaves together during cooking
- Pour the tomato broth (mixture of tomato paste, water, salt, and black pepper) into the pot.
- Turn on the fire in high fire and let it boil. Once boiling, lower to medium-low or low heat. Let it simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Once you reach 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the plate and observe if the rice is cooked and soft. If not, repeat and observe every 15 minutes.
- Once done, turn off the heat and let it cool down for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with slices of lemon to drizzle the waraq enab.
Notes
- The tomato broth is made from mixture of warm water, tomato paste, salt and black pepper. You can use tomato juice if you have one.
- The uncooked white rice must be soaked in warm water for 15 minutes to help cook the rice faster when simmering.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 32kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 214mgFiber: 1g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!