Yalanchi Sarma
Սուտ տոլմա·(yah-LAHN-chee SAR-mah)
Grandmothers' Hands (Sunday Suppers & Weekend Projects)
In Turkish, "yalanchi" translates to "liar"—a cheeky historical nod to the absence of meat in these Lenten fasting staples. But there is absolutely nothing fake about the flavor. For kids growing up in the Armenian-American diaspora, the smell of onions melting into copious amounts of olive oil, mingling with allspice, dried mint, and sharp lemon, is the exact smell of home. Making sarma is a labor of love for a Sunday afternoon. The secrets to getting it right are simple but non-negotiable: use Calrose rice for the perfect sticky bite, never brown your onions, and always let the cooked rolls cool completely in their pot so they don't oxidize and turn black.
Before you start
Extract the harsh commercial brine from the grape leaves.
Unroll the jarred leaves, place them in a large heat-proof bowl, and cover completely with boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and gently squeeze dry.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil3/4 cup
- yellow onions3 large
- Calrose rice1 cup
- pine nuts1/4 cup
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- hot water1/2 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup
- fresh lemon juice3 tbsp
- dried mint1 tbsp
- ground allspice1 tsp
- ground cinnamon1/2 tsp
- sugar1 tsp
- Kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- jarred grape leaves in brine16 oz
- warm water3/4 cup
- fresh lemon juice1/4 cup
- extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp
- Kosher salt1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Melt the onions into the olive oil.
Heat 3/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and sauté gently for 15 to 20 minutes until completely translucent and sweet—do not let them brown.
- 02
Partially pre-cook the rice.
Stir in the rinsed Calrose rice, toasted pine nuts, and tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup hot water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed but the rice is still hard in the center.
- 03
Build the flavor matrix and let it rest.
Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the minced parsley, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, dried mint, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, and black pepper. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature so the rice continues to absorb the flavors without tearing the delicate leaves during rolling.
- 04
Armor the cooking pot.
Line the bottom of a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with 6 to 8 of the largest, toughest, or torn grape leaves to create a sacrificial barrier against the heat.
- 05
Roll the sarma into tight cigar shapes.
Place a grape leaf flat with the dull, heavily-veined side facing up. Put a heaping teaspoon of the cooled rice mixture near the stem end, fold the bottom and sides inward to seal the edges, and roll tightly upward.
- 06
Pack the pot and apply the plate trick.
Arrange the rolled sarmas tightly, seam-side down, in concentric circles over the leaf lining. Cover with another layer of flat leaves, pour over the 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 cup warm water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then place an inverted, heat-proof plate directly on top of the rolls to weigh them down.
- 07
Simmer gently until tender.
Cover the pot with its lid and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to the absolute lowest setting and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until the rice inside is fully tender.
- 08
Cool completely in the covered pot.
Remove the pot from the heat but do not remove the lid or the plate. Allow the Yalanchi to cool entirely in their own residual liquid; exposing hot grape leaves to the air will cause them to oxidize and turn an unappealing black.
Notes
Split the work across two days.
Rolling 50 grape leaves is a weekend project, so cook the onion and rice filling up to three days in advance and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to roll.
Store them to improve the flavor.
Fully cooked Yalanchi keeps exceptionally well in the refrigerator for up to a week, and the flavors actually deepen and improve after a day or two.
Substitute pine nuts if needed.
If pine nuts are prohibitively expensive, finely chopped walnuts are a historically accurate and delicious substitution used by Western Armenian diaspora cooks.
From Cook Armenian in America.