Dolmeh Felfel (Persian Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Herbs)

About This Recipe

Dolmeh felfel is part of Persia's extensive dolmeh tradition, stuffed vegetable and leaf dishes filled with a rice-based mixture that varies by region and household but generally leans on fresh herbs and a touch of tartness. The filling here combines rice with ground beef, yellow split peas and a generous handful of fresh herbs, seasoned with turmeric and cinnamon for the warm, slightly sweet notes typical of Persian home cooking. Simmered gently in a light tomato sauce brightened with a splash of vinegar or dried lime for tang, the peppers soften completely while the filling absorbs the surrounding sauce, traditionally served with a side of plain yogurt.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8bell peppers
• 1 cupshort-grain rice(parboiled 10 minutes and drained)
• 300 gground beef
• 1/2 cupyellow split peas(cooked until tender)
• 1onion(diced)
• 1/2 cupchopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cupchopped fresh dill
• 1/2 tspturmeric
• 1/4 tspcinnamon
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 2 cupscrushed tomatoes(for sauce)
• 2 tbspvinegar(for sauce)
• 1 cupwater(for sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the peppers

   Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds and membranes, keeping the peppers whole.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Cook onion until soft, add ground beef and cook until browned, then stir in the parboiled rice, cooked split peas, parsley, dill, turmeric, cinnamon and salt.

3. 3

   Stuff the peppers

   Fill each pepper about three-quarters full with the rice and meat mixture.

4. 4

   Make the sauce

   Whisk crushed tomatoes, vinegar and water together.

5. 5

   Simmer

   Arrange the stuffed peppers upright in a pot, pour the tomato sauce around them, cover, and simmer on low 35-40 minutes until the peppers are tender.

   Leave room in the peppers for the rice to expand as it finishes cooking in the moist environment of the simmering pot.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve hot with a side of plain yogurt.

Variations

• •

  A vegetarian version replaces the ground beef with extra split peas and mushrooms.

• •

  Some households use small tomatoes or eggplants stuffed with the same mixture alongside the peppers.

• •

  Adding a bit of dried lime powder to the sauce gives extra traditional Persian tang.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or extra tomato sauce if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions