Tripe Dolmas are inspired by an article in the Winter 2016 Wise Traditions Journal. Near and dear to my heart, it was called Iran’s Traditional Foods: A Heritage Worth Renewing. The article seemed consistent with what I’ve learned about Iran from my in-laws.
Soroush Niknamian describes traditional foods made with whole-food ingredients. These include fermented wheat and raw dairy products, hearty meat and vegetable soups and stews, and rice preparations described as an art form.
Offal in Iran
Niknamian continues with several examples of offal in the Iranian diet. One example is a soup made of lambs head and hooves – often served for late-night meals or breakfast. To me, this sounds very similar to Mexican Pozole – but made with local ingredients, of course!
However, one sentence in particular stuck with me.
Heart, liver, and kidney kebabs (typically from lamb) are a common street food, and tripe dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) are a feature of central Iran.
I’ve dutifully made Persian-styled heart, liver and kidney kebabs dozens of times. And dolmas as well. Yet, I’d never considered Tripe Dolmas! So easy to substitute tripe for the ground lamb. Such a nutrient-dense and pleasing option!
Tripe Dolmas
To clean and prepare your tripe for use, see general instructions here.
Tripe Dolmas are loosely based on the Grape Leaves with Sweet and Sour Stuffing recipe by Najmieh Batmanglij in Food of Life.
In her recipe, dolmas are baked for an hour, then a sweet and sour sauce is added and they are baked for another hour. In this version, I skip the baking. Instead, I cooked the tripe – to perfect tenderness – in advance. I also added raisins (sweet) and lime juice (sour) to the mix before stuffing.
As a caveat, I know that there are many Persian food relationships I do not understand well – including pairing ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ foods or appropriate spice accompaniments. Moreover, Batmanglij explains seasonings for ‘dolmeh’ (dolmas) by region of the country. I’ve mixed and matched all of these (in my ignorance).
But by adding a bit more lime juice, my husband was pleased.
In the meantime, Niknamian concludes the Journal article mentioned earlier by noting,
As chronic disease trends move in the wrong direction in Iran and worldwide, both Iranians and non-Iranians can benefit from becoming (re)acquainted with some of Iran’s delicious and live-giving culinary traditions.
I couldn’t agree more. Give these a try!
Ingredients
- 1 15oz jar of grape leaves in vinegar - about 50 leaves
- 1 lb tripe, cleaned of any dirt, debris or strong odor
- aromatics (optional) such a carrot, celery, and bay leaf
- 1 c basmati rice
- salt
- 1/2 c ghee
- 1 onion, sliced in half moons
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 c green onions, chopped
- 1 c dill
- 1/4 c tarragon
- 1/4 c mint
- 4 c parsley
- 1/2 c raisins
- 1/4 c pine nuts (optional)
- 2 t dried summer savory
- 1/2 t red pepper flakes
- 1 t cinnamon
- pinch of saffron
- pepper
- 1-2 c broth
- 1/4 c lime juice (juice of 2 small limes)
Instructions
- For the tripe, cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim and foam that rises, and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain your tripe into a colander and reserve. If there is any foam or debris that is on your tripe from pouring it off, rinse it off. Wash your pot, return tripe to pot, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil again. Skim any foam that arises, then reduce to a simmer. Add optional aromatics, cover and simmer for two hours or until very soft and tender to bite into. Strain tripe and reserve. Discard aromatics. Cut tripe into strips, then chop into pieces the size of beans or peas. This could be completed up to two days in advance with the tripe stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- For the rice, rinse until water, stirring a bit, until the water running off the rice no longer looks milky white and runs clear. Add the rinsed rice to a pot with a quart of water and 1/2 t salt. Bring to a boil, then cook, partially covered over medium for 20 minutes. Drain the rice into a large strainer or colander. Reserve.
- Meanwhile, prepare all other ingredients and measure spices before cooking, which will go quickly. For the saffon, mix with 2 tablespoons of boiling water and stir to dissolve as best you can. Reserve saffron water.
- Heat a large pot on medium and add ghee. When ghee has melted, add onion and garlic and let cook for 3-4 minutes to soften. Add tripe and rice. Mix well to cover these evenly in ghee and to break up any clumps in the rice. Next, add green onions, dill, tarragon, mint, parsley, raisins, optional pine nuts, summer savory, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, saffron in water, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well; continue to mix until the herbs become fragrant. Add 1 cup of broth and scrape up any rice or brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Continue to mix well to improve hydration of stuffing mix. If the pot is still dry, add another cup of broth; if the mix is liquid-y at all, cook off the broth, but remove from the heat before herbs and rice stick to the pot. Add lime juice and mix well. Taste for seasonings - add more salt or lime juice or raisins if needed. You should want to eat this filling by the spoonful. It should be pleasantly sour.
- Drain grape leaves, rinse, and dry on a towel. Nip off any hard stem ends with your fingernails or a knife if still attached to the leaves. Add small amount of stuffing to each grape leaf. Fold the sides and roll up. If there are any holes or tears in the leaves as you lay them out, rip off a bit from an extra leaf (reserved for this purpose) and patch from the inside before adding filling. Repeat, filling all the leaves and placing them in a dish.
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