Mixed Vegetable Iraqi Dolma

This Iraqi Dolma recipe is truly a labor of love! It starts with plenty of beautiful vegetables and a flavorful filling made with rice, diced meat, herbs, and spices! Get ready to learn yet another delicious way to prepare dolma, Iraqi-style!

I'm not gonna lie, this Iraqi dolma recipe is going to take some time to prepare. But you will thank me when you sit down to eat a plateful! Iraqi dolma is meant to be enjoyed with a large group of family or friends. The large pot is usually covered with an even larger flat tray and then skillfully flipped to display the delicious dolma, first to be admired, then to be devoured.

In Assyrian, we call this particular dolma "dolma't renjeh" which translated to "dolma of colors." One look at this dish and you'll understand why! What differentiates Iraqi dolma from my mom's Assyrian version is the sweet & tangy sauce (made with tamarind, dried lime, and pomegranate molasses). This impressive dish will dazzle even the most critical Assyrian mother-in-law, I promise you! 😉

🧐 Why This Recipe Works

• Iraqi dolma is not only delicious but it's a great way to cook with a variety of vegetables. If you don't like one or more of the vegetables used in the recipe, you can replace them with the ones you do like. For example, you can replace the zucchini with eggplant or peppers with more tomatoes.
• This dolma recipe is enough to feed a crowd but it can be portioned into meals when meal prepping for the week.
• By replacing the meat with another cup of rice, you can easily transform this recipe into a vegetarian dolma recipe.

🛒 What You Need To Make This Recipe

🔖 Recipe Ingredients And Substitutions

• Vegetables: This is a very colorful recipe due to the variety of vegetables used. You'll want a mixture of medium to large-sized tomatoes, small eggplant, medium zucchini, small bell peppers or mini sweet peppers, grape leaves, cabbage, and onions.
• Meat: Choose from beef or lamb, or leave the meat out entirely and substitute it with an additional cup of rice.
• Rice: I prefer Jasmine rice but Basmati rice is another great option.
• Herbs: You'll need Italian parsley, fresh dill, and cilantro.
• Spices: Salt, black pepper, paprika, baharat (or allspice), and if you like it spicy, cayenne pepper. I also ground one dried lime and added the powder into the filling mixture. You can buy dried lime powder or use sumac powder instead.
• Tamarind: Tamarind can be purchased in pods, blocks, or ready-to-go in a concentrated form. Tamarind pods need to be peeled and soaked in hot water then strained to remove the stringy fibers and seeds. A similar process is required for tamarind blocks. Concentrated tamarind is the way to go if you want an affordable, hassle-free option.
• Pomegranate Molasses: Pomegranate molasses adds a sweet and tart flavor. It is used in a few of my recipes including my smoked pork jerky, roasted beetroot salad, and Fattoush Salad.
• Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil can be used.

*A full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

🍆 How To Make Iraqi Dolma

STEP 1: Use the larger and thicker cabbage leaves to line the bottom of a large pot. This keeps the dolma from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Another great option is to line the bottom of the pot with lamb chops.

STEP 2: Blanch cabbage leaves and grape leaves in boiling water until wilted. The grape leaves will only need 30 seconds or so while the cabbage leaves will likely take longer. Peel and slice the ends off of the onion then slice halfway through the center. Add to the boiling water and cook until the onion opens up and the layers can be easily separated.

Prepare the Filling

STEP 3: Chop Italian parsley, cilantro, dill, and onion, then mince the garlic. Add them all to a large bowl. Wash and strain the rice and add to the same bowl along with the diced meat and tomato paste.

STEP 4: Using a mallet, crush the dried lime (Noomi Basrah) and remove any visible seeds. Grind into a powder using a spice mill. You may need to sift through a small strainer to remove larger pieces. Add the lime powder, salt, black pepper, baharat, paprika, and cayenne powder to the filling mixture then mix to combine all the ingredients.

STEP 5: Add the pomegranate molasses, tamarind concentrate, and oil. Mix to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Carve The Veggies

STEP 6: Next, prepare the vegetables in the following manner:

• Tomatoes: Slice the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp and add it to the filling mix.
• Zucchini/Squash: Depending on the size, you can either keep them whole or slice them into 2 portions. Slice a piece off of one of the ends and save it to use as a lid to keep the filling from spilling out. Core out the remaining flesh with a vegetable corer. Chop the flesh and add it to the filling mix.
• Eggplant: If possible use small eggplant. I couldn't find any small ones locally. Slice the end off then slice a piece to use as a cap. Scoop out the flesh, chop, and add to the filling mixture.
• Peppers: Slice the tops off of the mini peppers and remove the seeds. If using bell peppers, follow the same procedure.

Pro Tip: Using a sharp paring knife make a few slits into the sides of all the vegetables to allow the cooking juices to be absorbed easily.

Filling the Vegetables

STEP 7: Fill the vegetables about ¾ full with the filling mixture. Avoid packing the mixture too tightly since the rice will expand as it cooks. Fit the "lids" into place and arrange the vegetables along the bottom of the pot.

Pro Tip: I like to start with the larger vegetables and then arrange the smaller ones around them.

STEP 8: Finally, roll the cabbage leaves, grape leaves, and onion layers. Arrange around the other vegetables filling in all the gaps. Cover the pot with the lid and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes.

Cooking Instructions

STEP 9: Meanwhile, whisk the cooking liquid ingredients into a saucepan until blended and bring to a boil. When the dolma has cooked for 15 minutes, pour the hot liquid over the vegetables in the pot. Cover the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Simmer the vegetables for one hour or until the rice is tender. Allow the dolma to set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs

👩🏼‍🍳 Recipe Pro Tips

• Since vegetable sizes vary, you may need more or fewer grape leaves, cabbage leaves, and onions to use up the remaining filling.
• You can peel the zucchini and eggplant or leave them as is. I like to partially peel them, leaving a striped pattern.
• Although grape leave and swiss chard dolma are served with a garlic yogurt sauce, mixed vegetable dolma is served as is.
• Feel free to leave out the dried lime or replace it with 1 tablespoon of sumac powder which has a similar tart-citrusy flavor.
• A heat diffuser is recommended when cooking foods for a long time over a low setting. Not only does it distribute the heat evenly, but it keeps whatever is cooking from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Dolma leftovers can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months or refrigerated for up to a week. To reheat cold dolma, microwave it for a few minutes or until heated through.

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