Lamb Stuffed Grape Leaves (Qatari Warak Enab)

qatari-warakenab Qatari warak enab are little bundles of stuffed grape leaves. These are popular in many places of the world and Qatar is no exception. I made these little savoury bites with sweet lamb and millet. They are fun to make and perfect to get the kids involved to wrap them up. There are so many variations for stuffed grape leaves. You can make them with just about any grain or rice, whatever types of meat you like and spices. They also are often made vegetarian like we made for our Armenian meal. You can simply use this recipe as a guide and you really can't go wrong.

1 jar grape leaves, in brine (~ 60-70)
1 lb ground lamb
2 cups millet or rice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp. sea salt, divided
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large lemons, freshly squeezed

Grape Leaves Preparation:
Drain grape vine leaves and soak them in a large bowl of water.

Gently separate and wash the leaves, stack them on a plate and set them aside. You can cover them with a damp cloth so they don't dry out.

Stuffing Preparation:
Cook ground lamb with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and ½ tsp. of salt and drain out the fat.

Add millet or rice to the ground lamb along with the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and ½ tsp. of salt, allspice seasoning, cinnamon and black pepper, and mix well.

To stuff and roll the grape leaves, lay a grape leaf flat on a cutting board, scoop out a heaping tsp. of the mixture into the center of the grape leaf, and carefully fold in the sides and roll it like you would when making a wrap.

The trick is to roll it tightly enough so that it doesn't unravel while cooking, but not too tightly since the millet or rice needs room to expand as it cooks.

Wrapping Them Up:
Place all the wrapped grape leaves in a tray.

Line the bottom of a large pot with tomatoes and/or potatoes and season with salt/pepper to taste.

Neatly arrange the stuffed and rolled grape leaves in rows, alternating directions, to completely cover the circumference of the pot. Drizzle each layer with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place small round plate on top of grape leaves in the pot to hold them down and prevent floating while they are cooking.

Add enough boiling water to completely cover the grape leaves and the plate, then cover the pot and cook on Medium heat for 30 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Add the lemon juice on top of the grape leaves, then cook on low heat for an additional 45 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool uncovered.

Transfer to a dish, garnish with lemon slices and enjoy warm.

Makes 10 servings.