Cabbage Rolls in Yogurt Sauce (Sarmi)

Instructions

Boil the grape or cabbage leaves in salted water until they look cooked and bend just enough to roll. Drain them and leave them to cool while you make the filling.

Lightly fry the finely chopped spring onions in a small amount of the fat, then stir in a teaspoon or more of paprika. Add the meat, rice, pepper, mint and finely chopped parsley, and cook until the meat looks almost done.

Pour in ¾ cup of water and bring it to a boil. Cover at once, turn the heat to its lowest setting and leave for 10 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the water. Uncover, fluff the filling with a small spatula or spoon, and let it cool until you can handle it.

Put about 1 teaspoon of filling on each leaf and roll it into a fully closed package, much like a small egg roll. Use a little more filling on large cabbage leaves, but keep the rolls roughly the same size.

Pack the rolls into a saucepan, add 1½ cups of warm water, cover, and simmer gently over low heat until they are cooked.

While the rolls cook, stir the yogurt with a little paprika for color, or leave the paprika out if you want the dish to stay white. Add any other spices you like.

Let the finished rolls cool a little, then move them carefully to a serving dish and coat them with the yogurt mixture. Serve with vegetables of your choice.