Zucchini Dolma With Bulgur Recipe
In Turkish cuisine there are two types of dolmas officially; olive oil dolma which is made with lots of onions and olive oil and without tomato paste and meat and meat dolma which is made with meat and tomato paste. But I don't like the idea of making just two categories for dolmas. For me there should be another category such as tomato paste dolma which doesn't contain meat and made with tomato paste.
This pepper dolma is a god example to what I'm talking about. This zucchini dolma with bulgur is another one also.
For the zucchini dolma, I usually use short zucchinis and cut them in half. But the last time I did this, the pumpkins were tall, and when they were cut in half, they would stay long to be stuffed. For this reason, I did it by slicing. Nothing changed. If yours are shorter, you can just halve and use them that way.
If you don't like bulgur or don't have it, you can use rice instead. But try it with bulgur at the first opportunity. Dolma made with rice is undoubtedly very delicious, but made with bulgur is completely delicious.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 5 green zucchini,
- 1 cup thick bulgur, washed and drained,
- 1 onion, chopped,
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tomato paste,
- 1 tomato,
- 1 handful of finely chopped parsley,
- 1 handful of finely chopped fresh mint (or 1 teaspoon of dried mint),
- 1 teaspoon of thyme,
- Salt,
- Black pepper,
- Cumin,
- Olive oil,
- Water,
- Tomatoes for topping.
Preparation
- Cut the stems and ends of the zucchinis and slice them into three thick slices,
- Remove carve the inside without opening the bottom of the slices completely,
- For the filling, heat 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, add into the onions and stir fry until tender,
- Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and stir fry until it smells good,
- Add the grated tomato and cook until thickens,
- Add the bulgur and mix,
- Add parsley, mint, salt and spices and mix,
- Add 1 cup of water, close the lid and cook until it absorbs all the water,
- Fill the filling into the zucchini slices and place them vertically in a large pot,
- Place a piece of tomato on them,
- In the pan you prepared the filling, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add 1 teaspoon of tomato paste and stir fry until smells good,
- Add 3 cups of water and salt according to your taste and mix and remove from heat,
- Add the sauce to the pot,
- Cover and cook on low heat until the bulgur and zucchini soften completely (if necessary, you can add boiling water as it decreases).
Enjoy...