Zubereitung

1. 1

   Take the vine leaves out of the jar, unfold them carefully and soak them in a large bowl of cold water to draw out the brine; change the water once.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, wash the rice in a bowl of cold water, pouring off the cloudy water as often as needed until it stays almost clear, then drain well in a sieve. Peel the onion and dice it very finely.

3. 3

   Knead the rice, onion, minced lamb, tomato paste, red pepper paste, mint, salt, pepper, pomegranate molasses and oil together thoroughly by hand in a bowl until you have an even, reddish filling; the rice stays raw and only cooks in the pot.

4. 4

   Drain the vine leaves and snip off the stems right at the base of the leaf with kitchen scissors. Set aside about 10 torn or too-small leaves; they will go on the bottom of the pot and on top later.

5. 5

   Lay a leaf on a board, shiny side down and stem end towards you, so that the veins are facing up. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling crosswise along the stem end in a small sausage shape, fold the bottom of the leaf over it and tuck in both sides.

6. 6

   Roll the leaf up from the bottom, firmly but not too tightly, into a finger-thick roll about 6 cm long, because the rice swells during cooking and would burst a leaf rolled too tightly. Set the roll down with the leaf tip underneath and repeat with the remaining leaves until the filling is used up; you will get about 50 rolls.

7. 7

   Peel the potato and cut it into 1 cm thick slices. Line the bottom of a wide, heavy pot with them and fill the gaps with some of the leaves you set aside so that the rolls do not stick.

8. 8

   Pack the rolls into the pot snugly, seam side down, in circles from the edge to the centre, laying the next layer crosswise over the first; place them so tightly that they hold each other in place. Cover the top with the remaining loose leaves.

9. 9

   Stir the hot water together with the lemon juice, the tomato paste for the cooking liquid and the salt and pour it in carefully at the edge until the rolls are just covered. Place an upturned plate that just fits inside the pot on top of the rolls and press down lightly so that they do not unroll during cooking.

10. 10

    Bring to the boil once, then put the lid on and simmer the rolls gently over a low heat until the rice is soft and the cooking liquid has almost been absorbed.

11. 11

    Lift the lid away from you, as hot steam escapes, and cut a roll open: the rice should be soft, the meat cooked through with no trace of pink and the filling 70 °C in the centre. If not, add a splash of hot water and cook for a few more minutes.

12. 12

    Turn off the heat and leave the rolls to rest, covered, so that they firm up and do not come apart when you lift them out.

13. 13

    Remove the plate and the top leaves and carefully lift the rolls out layer by layer with a spoon onto a large platter, add the potato slices and drizzle everything with a little cooking liquid from the pot.

14. 14

    Tip: A small bowl of yogurt goes well with them, for example from the recipe Mast — homemade yogurt. Minced beef works instead of minced lamb, and without meat the rolls become Îprax bê goşt — Vine Leaves with Rice, Tomato and Pomegranate Molasses. Cool leftovers quickly, put them in the fridge within two hours at the latest and use them up within a day; the rolls taste particularly good the next day, lukewarm or at room temperature.