Cold appetizers · The home kitchen
Vegetarian Grape Leaves
Rice-filled grape leaves reward a little patient rolling with a platter that is easy to share. Parsley, mint and tomato keep the filling fresh, and lemon seasons the rice as it cooks inside the leaves. Serve these rolls warm or cool as part of a vegetarian mezze spread. This is an original home-style interpretation inspired by the menu’s ingredients, rather than Beiruty’s restaurant formula. Quantities are written for a domestic kitchen so you can prepare the dish confidently and adjust the final seasoning to your own taste. The independent recipe linked below provides another cook’s perspective and useful background for exploring this style of food at home.
A home-style recipe inspired by our menu. Restaurant preparation, portions and ingredients may differ.
Make it at home
Vegetarian Grape Leaves recipe
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Rest / chill
- 20 min
- Total
- 135 min
Ingredients
- 40 brined grape leaves, about 250 g drained
- 120 g uncooked short-grain rice
- 80 g onion, finely chopped
- 200 g tomatoes, finely chopped
- 40 g parsley, chopped
- 10 g mint, chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 60 ml lemon juice
- 650 ml water
- 150 g potato, sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Method
Rinse leaves well; simmer tough leaves in plain water for 3 minutes and cool. Rinse rice and combine with onion, tomatoes, herbs, 30 ml oil, 30 ml lemon, salt and pepper.
Line a heavy saucepan with potato slices. Place each leaf vein-side up, trim stem, add 1 teaspoon filling near the base, fold sides inward and roll loosely to allow rice to expand.
Arrange rolls seam-side down in snug layers. Add remaining oil and lemon and 650 ml water. Set a heatproof plate over rolls and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and simmer very gently 50–55 minutes, until a test roll has tender rice. Add a little boiling water if dry. Rest covered 20 minutes before lifting out.
Make it your own.
- Do not pack rice tightly inside the leaves.
- Rinse an extra leaf and taste it to judge its saltiness.