Stuffed Grape Leaves

Begin by heating oil in a medium-sized cooking vessel over an average heat setting. Add sliced onions and cook until they become soft and translucent, taking approximately 5 minutes to achieve this. Next, incorporate the rice into the mixture, followed by the addition of sufficient hot water to cover the ingredients. Cover the saucepan and continue cooking until the rice is half-cooked, which should take around 10 minutes.

Next, remove the saucepan from the heat source and stir in a concentrated paste made from tomatoes, along with other ingredients such as currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, mint, dill, allspice, and cumin. Allow the mixture to cool down for about 15 minutes before proceeding.

Prepare a large cooking vessel by placing an inverted plate on the bottom; this will help protect the dolmas from direct heat during steaming. Remove any grape leaf stems and cut them off, as they are not needed for the recipe.

Now, take a small amount of the cooled rice mixture - roughly 1 teaspoon - and place it in the center of a grape leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over the mixture, then roll it into a cylindrical shape resembling a cigar. Place this dolma into the prepared cooking vessel, repeating the process for each remaining grape leaf.

Pour in just enough warm water to reach the bottom of the first layer of dolmas. Cover the vessel and continue cooking over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked. Check the water level regularly and add more as necessary to ensure that the dolmas are fully submerged during cooking.