Stuffed Grape Leaves with Meat

Ingredients

• 1 kilo pickled grape leaves
• 1 kilo Egyptian rice
• 1/2 kilo ground meat
• 1/2 kilo meat slices
• 1/2 kilo lamb fat or tail fat (lyeh)
• Lamb bones
• Seasonings, as desired
• 1 tablespoon seven-spice
• Salt, as desired
• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 4 cups lemon juice
• 4 liters water

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the grape leaves to the boiling water for five minutes if they are tender. If they are tough, leave them for ten minutes, then remove them from the water and let them drain well.
2. Start preparing the filling: Wash the rice well and drain it, then add the ground meat, spices, salt, and ghee or oil, and mix well.
3. Roll the grape leaves and set them aside.
4. Place the meat, fat, and bones in a pot and cover them with a little water. Put them over the heat until the water boils, then discard this water and wash them well.
5. Put them back in the pot, cover with clean water, add seasonings as desired, and let them boil for ten minutes.
6. Discard the water again and wash them. This way they are ready to be placed underneath and with the grape leaves after removing any odor completely.
7. Spread the bones with some of the fat at the bottom of the pot, then arrange the rolled leaves and distribute the meat slices and the remaining fat between the layers of leaves as you arrange them.
8. Mix the lemon juice with 4 liters of water, salt as desired, and a little oil or ghee, then pour this mixture over the leaves in the pot.
9. Place a plate or tray over the leaves so that it presses on all the leaves and is slightly smaller than the pot's diameter, then place a weight on top of it.
10. Put the pot on the heat until the water boils. Then lower the heat and leave the pot over very low heat, like a candle flame, for a period ranging from 20 hours to a full day, making sure to add small amounts of boiling water whenever the water level in the pot goes down, then cover it again with the plate and weight.
    Timers: 1200 min
11. Turn the pot out onto a tray larger than it and serve the stuffed grape leaves with meat hot.
12. This wonderful recipe for stuffed grape leaves with meat is from a friend and cook at the Shou Tabkhin Today website.
13. Ruwaida Al-Hajj Rifaai
14. Try Cheese Potato Balls made the Ruwaida way too
15. For more grape leaf recipes, here is How to Make Grape Leaves with Oil
16. Here is this royal and easy recipe Grilled Leg of Lamb