Turkish Dolma with Avgolemono Sauce

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cooking Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins

½ cup long-grain rice (washed and rinsed with fresh water. Then soaked in water for 20 minutes)
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion (finely diced)
½ teaspoon tomato paste
½ cup water
3 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoon mint (chopped; or use around 1 tbsp if it is dried mint)
1 ½ tablespoon dried currants

Warm the oil over a medium heat in a skillet and add the diced onion. Cook for a few minutes (for around 4-5 minutes) until the onion has become crispy brown. Transfer the crisp onions to a bowl. Do not wash this skillet and use it for cooking rice.
Add the soaked rice to the emptied oily skillet (drain the water before adding the rice). Also, add the tomato paste and mix well to coat the rice. Cook for a minute. Now, add ½ cup water. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat slightly and cook until the liquid is absorbed (for around 15-20 minutes).
Once the water has absorbed completely, switch off the heat. Add the crispy onions, parsley, mint, and currants to the cooked rice and mix to combine well. Cover it with a lid (to let the flavors gel together) and set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the grape leaves.

If using jarred leaves, take out the grape leaves from the brine, separate them, and rinse under cold water. Place them in a bowl of warm water to soften them.
If using fresh leaves, rinse them with fresh water to clean surface dirt. Now blanch them by adding the leaves to a pot of boiling water. Move them upside down softly with tongs for around 30 seconds and dunk them in a bowl of ice-cold water. Treat 7-8 leaves at a time to avoid deshaping them.

Spoon a small amount (only ½ tablespoon per leaf) of the filling mixture in the center of each leaf in a thin horizontal line. Fold in the bottom edges of the leaf, then the sides, and then roll from the bottom towards the tip of the leaf to make a thin roll. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and leaves.
Take a wide-bottomed pan and take some leftover leaves (torn or too small) to form a layer covering the whole bottom of the pan (this will prevent stuffed Dolmas from sticking to the bottom or getting over-cooked). Alternatively, you may also lightly oil the pan. Arrange all the stuffed grape leaves in a layer across the bottom, packing them in tightly. Place the leaf joint facing the bottom of the pan to prevent them from opening during cooking. Make an additional layer or layers on top to accommodate all the leaves.
Drizzle a little oil and squeeze over the juice of ½ lemon over the top of the stuffed leaves. Add enough water to just about cover the leaves (around 1 cup/ 240ml). Put a heavy plate on top layer to hold them down. Now, put the lid on the pot. Place the pot over a medium-low heat and cook for around 20 mins. Switch off the heat and let it cook in carry-over heat while the flavors gel, too.
Serve warm with Avgolemono Sauce.

Mix all ingredients in a blender to form a smooth paste.
Pour the mixture into a small skillet over medium heat. Cook while stirring until velvety smooth. Add more water (if needed) to reach desired consistency.