Wara Enab (Stuffed Vine Leaves) is a traditional Egyptian recipe for a classic vegetarian dish of vine (grape) leaves stuffe with a mix of basmati rice, tomatoes and onion that's cooked in a mix of tomato juice and water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Egyptian dish of: Stuffed Vine Leaves (Wara Enab).
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Ingredients:
140g raw basmati rice
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
30g chopped parsley
1 tbsp vegetable oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
450g tinned vine leaves
250ml passata (tomato juice)
500ml water
15 round slices of carrots (enough to cover the base of a 3l casserole dish)
Method:
Combine the rice, tomatoes, onion, parsley, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and allspice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove the vine leaves from the tin then unfold and rinse with water. Place the leaves with the stem end towards you then place a teaspoon of the rice mixture on the base of the leaf, near the stem. Arrange this lengthways, using your fingers, then roll the flat ends of the leaf, near the stem, upwards then tuck them slightly under the filling. Now, applying pressure to keep the leaves slightly rolled, tuck one side at a time of the two parts of the leaf pointing upwards towards you. Now roll the remainder of the way upwards, still maintaining pressure to keep the leaf tight.
Cook the sliced carrots in lightly-salted water until tender then cover the base of your casserole dish with the cooked carrots. Arrange the rolled vine leaves above the carrots, ensuring that they are tightly packed together (this ensures they do not come apart during cooking). When the first layer is done, add the next layer of stuffed leaves, ensuring that each successive layer of leaves runs in a different direction across the pot.
Pour the tomato sauce and water over the leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover the leaves with a pyres plate that just fits in the pot then cover the casserole with a lid and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. Serve warm, accompanied by the sauce.
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