Is it possible to cook stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) in a "Rice Cooker Steamer"?!
...So I am wondering if we could use a steamer like this to cook them:
http://cooking.consumerhelpweb.com/kitch…
If possible, how much time should we steam them for?
Another question is: Some recipes call for almost cooked rice being the filling, while others (like we normally use) call for uncooked rice. Should we use half way (or 3/4 done) cooked rice if using the steamer?
I was looking online yesterday and I found that an ingenious lady shared way to make them in a rice cooker (like this one)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oster-3-cup-Ri…
But I need to know if I could use a Rice cooker steamer like the one on the first link...
Thank you in advance!
Answers:
I don't see why not, try it, but maybe use chicken broth and lemon juice as the liquid to steam it in. I would partially cook the rice and finish off in the steamer. If you use basmati rice, partially boil for 10 minutes with salt, then steam for 15 minutes. If you do not want to partially cook the rice, just use minute rice with the other ingredients to the stuffing. Good luck!
cooking Iraninan basmati rice for 10 years, and learned from my mother-in-law, a master Persian cooker in the home.
When we make them at my house we always use uncooked basmati rice. My husband likes to use a regular pot with a lid. I like to use the crock pot. I find that sometimes you get bits stuck in the pot and you have to scrub. He lays down a layer of loose grape leaves so they're what sticks instead of the dolmas but in the crock pot nothing sticks at all and there's no scrubbing.
Used uncooked rice and you can make them in a pan with a lid.
The amount of liquid to use is add liquid so that the domades are half covered with water.
My wife and I make grape leaves quite frequently. We make the Lebanese style with meat and rice.
We normally make them in a large pot (like a dutch oven). We line the bottom of the pan with rhubarb stalks and lamb bones (or beef soup bones). Lining the bottom protects the grape leaves from burning and both rhubarb the bones add flavor.
We put the stuffed grape leaves over the bones and stalks and then weight the leaves with a plate to keep them from moving around wihile cooking. And we cover the pan and cook on medium low for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Hi: I've never used a rice steamer to cook dolmas - just a large deep saucepan. If you are making meat dolmas (ground lamb) you can use raw rice, one cupful of rinsed basmati or unrinsed plain white rice to about a pound of meat. For plain rice dolmas, you will probably want to precook the rice in whatever mixture you use for seasoning (I use 1 cup chicken broth, 1 finely grated small onion, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp good olive oil and 1 tsp dry dill weed...cook rice in the mixture until almost dry but do not burn, then cool and use as filling - of course you can add mint, tomato, pine nuts etc as you like. I also use the same seasoning mix for meat filling omitting the chicken broth and without cooking the rice). Cover the bottom of your pan with grapeleaves and then lay the rolls on top. Cover with additional leaves and pour your cooking liquid with seasoning on top of the rolls so it is about 3/4 the way up. I use 2 cans chicken broth, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 1/12 tsp dry dill weed and 1/4 cup good olive oil. Simmer (Don't boil) for about an hour or until leaves are tender. You can either eat them with the cooking juice or make Avegolemono sauce with the juice by heating 1 1/2 cups of juice and adding a couple of beaten egg yolks to it and whisking over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat immediately or it may curdle. Happy eating!
Me
