Soğan Dolması (Stuffed Onions) Recipe
Soğan dolması aka stuffed onions is one of the most creative recipes of traditional Turkish cuisine. Wrapping the leaves, hollowing out the vegetables and stuffing them is understandable up to a point, but I think it's a very original idea to separate the onion layer by layer and stuff them. Moreover, with the contribution of the sweet flavor that the cooked onion produces, the result obtained is enormous.
Although stuffing onions seems like a labor-intensive recipe, it is not. As the onions soften in a short time, they are ready to be filled until the filling is cooked. It doesn't take that much time like sarma. It bakes in the oven like baked tomato dolma, which makes it extra delicious.
Yellow onions (classic edible onions) are usually used for stuffed onions, but you can use any type of onion you like. This includes purple onions. It can be difficult for onions and filling to go head-to-head, as the layer thickness and number of layers of onions can be different. If your filling is left over, you can freeze it and add it to the sarma or dolma fillings you will prepare in the future.
Stuffed onions do not contain fat and meat, so you can consume them at any temperature (hot, warm or cold). You can serve them with plain yogurt or cacık on the side.
Enjoy the recipe...
Soğan Dolması (Stuffed Onions) Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 6 onions,
- 1 cup of rice,
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste,
- 1 teaspoon of dried mint,
- 1 teaspoon of paprika,
- Salt,
- 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 cup of water.
For the sauce;
- 1 teaspoon of tomato paste,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 2.5 cups of water.
Preparation
- Boil plenty of water in a deep bowl,
- Peel five of the onions and cut them in half from the sides,
- Put them in boiling water and cook until soft,
- Take them out of boiling water and put them in cold water and wait for them to cool down,
- Chop the remaining onion,
- Heat olive oil in a large pan,
- Add the onion and stir fry until soft,
- Add the tomato paste and stir fry until the raw tomato smell is gone,
- Add the washed and drained rice, spices and salt and mix,
- Add the water, mix and cook on low heat until the water is absorbed,
- Separate the cooled onions into layers,
- Put a teaspoon of filling into the layers and roll them up,
- You can use the outer wide layers by dividing them into two,
- Place the stuffed onions in an oven dish,
- For the sauce in the pan where you prepared the filling, heat the olive oil, add the tomato paste and stir fry it until the raw smell is gone,
- Add water and mix,
- Pour the sauce over the stuffing.
- Cover the baking dish with greaseproof paper,
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C degrees until the water is almost completely absorbed and evaporated,
- Remove the greaseproof paper and keep them in the oven 10 minutes more,
Enjoy your meal...