Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Vine leaves rolled with spiced rice and lamb.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 250 g Vine leaves
- 200 g White rice
- 250 g Ground lamb
- 2 Tomato
- 1 tsp Allspice
- 2 Lemon
- 5 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Rinse the vine leaves and pat them dry.
- In a bowl, mix the rice, lamb, chopped tomato, allspice, olive oil, and salt into an even filling.
- Place a little filling near the stem end of each leaf and roll into tight cigars, tucking in the sides.
- Pack the rolls snugly into a pot, pour in enough water to cover and the lemon juice, weigh them down with a plate, then simmer gently until the leaves and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.
- Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Warak enab — stuffed grape leaves — is a cornerstone of Levantine and wider Middle Eastern cooking, where tender vine leaves are rolled around a seasoned filling into tight little cigars and gently simmered. This version uses a raw-rice-and-lamb filling cooked in the pot rather than a precooked one, so the rice swells and absorbs the leaf's tang and the meat's richness as it steams. It's a labor-of-love dish, traditionally rolled in big batches for family gatherings and holidays, and the rolling itself is often a shared kitchen ritual.
The eating experience is bright and savory: the vine leaves lend a lemony, slightly sour edge that plays against the warm sweetness of allspice and the fattiness of the lamb, all lifted by the lemon juice added to the pot. Packing the rolls snugly and weighing them down with a plate keeps them from unravelling as they cook low and slow, which is the technical heart of getting them tender without falling apart. Served warm or at room temperature, often with a dollop of yogurt, warak enab works as a mezze centerpiece or alongside other small dishes on a generous table.
Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves): frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves)?
One serving of Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) has about 371 calories, with 10g of protein, 31g of carbs, 23g of fat and 2g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) take to make?
About 80 minutes start to finish, but only around 38 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Warak Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves) make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.