Vegan Vine Leaves (v)

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KOUPEPIA WITHOUT MEAT

These meat-free versions of our traditional stuffed vine leaves are big on flavour and made with wholegrain brown rice to give them a little more bite and a nuttier taste. If you have access to freshly picked leaves they are all the better but a pack of preserved will work a treat.

MAKES ABOUT 35 KOUPEPIA - depending on size of leaves

PREP TIME: 40-50 MINS

COOKING TIME: 40 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

  • 250g long grain brown rice

  • 1 tin plum tomatoes

  • tomato puree

  • 1 large red onion

  • Vine leaves

  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

  • grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon

  • Salt and pepper 

  •  1 large handful chopped fresh mint

  • 1 large handful chopped fresh parsley 

  • 1 handful chopped fresh oregano or teaspoon dried

  • Virgin olive oil

  • 1 large waxy potato


METHOD

Heat up a couple of tablespoons full of olive oil in pan. Add the onion and cook till soft.

Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon, a squirt of tomato puree and cook into a rich thick sauce.

Put rice into a bowl and stir in the lemon rind, all the herbs and the sauce. Leave to rest.

Put the vine leaves into another bowl. Pour boiled water onto them and rinse. If your vine leaves are from a packet they will need a couple of rinses to wash away the brine they were preserved in. Then pour on more boiled water and let them sit in it to loosen up. Fresh leaves may need to sit in the hot water or longer to soften a little.

Now, pour away the water and you’re ready to roll.

Place a leaf front of you - smooth side down, veiny side up and point of leaf pointing away. If it has a little stork, cut it off.

With a spoon, scoop up some of the rice mixture place a sausage of it at the base of the leaf, where the stork was. Fold the bottom ends of the leaf over, fold the sides in and now roll it into a tight parcel. The amount of mixture will of course depend on the size of each leaf. Continue till you’ve used it all.

Now you want line the base of a saucepan to stop the bottom layer of koupepia catching. You can do this with slices of potato or carrot or anything to keep the stuffed vine leaf rolls off the base of the pan. Whatever you use cover with some loose spare leaves. And you can now start packing the pan with your rolls. They will need to be pack quite tightly so as not to open. Sprinkle a little salt as you go.

When they are all in, cover the top layer with more loose leaves. Now put a plate on top to weigh them down. Fill the pan with water just to meet the top layer over koupepia. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 - 40 mins. or until the rice is fully cooked. So you’ll need to open up one of the koupepia to see. Keep a check on the water. You want it all to be absorbed but you don’t want them to dry out.

We have filmed us making them... so go to our FOODTUBE, where you’ll get a clear demo of how to roll them.

RecipesSam Thomasuk, london, heels, black, ootd