Stuffed Vine Leaves — Dolmades Chiou
Hand-rolled vine leaves filled with herb rice and a whisper of mastic
⏱
60 min
Prep
🍳
50 min
Cook
👥
6
Serves
📊
Medium
Difficulty
Dolmades — stuffed vine leaves — are one of the great dishes of the Mediterranean. The Chian version uses fresh or preserved vine leaves grown on the island and adds a small amount of mastic powder to the rice filling, creating a subtle piney freshness that lifts the whole dish. Serve with cold Greek yogurt and lemon wedges.
Ingredients
- 40-50 vine leaves (fresh or preserved in brine)
- 300g short-grain rice (Arborio or similar)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- Large bunch fresh dill
- Large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Large bunch fresh mint
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 150ml good olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Chios mastic powder
- Salt and white pepper
- Water or light chicken stock for cooking
Method
- If using preserved vine leaves, rinse thoroughly under cold water to remove the brine. If using fresh leaves, blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then refresh in cold water. Pat dry.
- Mix the rice with the chopped onion, spring onions, dill, parsley, mint, half the lemon juice, half the olive oil, mastic powder, salt and pepper. The rice should be well seasoned — it absorbs flavor during cooking.
- Line the bottom of a heavy pot with a layer of vine leaves or a few slices of tomato to prevent sticking.
- Place a vine leaf, smooth side down, on a flat surface. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling near the stem end. Fold the sides over, then roll firmly from the stem toward the tip. The roll should be tight but not so tight it cannot expand as the rice cooks.
- Arrange the dolmades in the pot in tight layers, seam side down. Pour over the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and enough water or stock to barely cover.
- Place an inverted plate on top of the dolmades to keep them from unwrapping during cooking. Cover the pot and cook over the lowest possible heat for 45-50 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the leaves are tender.
- Allow to cool in the pot — dolmades are best served at room temperature, with cold yogurt and wedges of lemon.