One of my favorite food that my grandmother would make me growing up is the traditional Middle-Eastern waraq enab and qoosa dish. The dish has different names based on region – including dawali and dolma.

It is essentially a dish that consists of grape leave and squash that is stuffed with spiced rice and ground beef mix. The stuffed grape leaves and squash are then assembled in a large pot and cooked for a couple of hours until the grape leaves soften up. It is a delicious meal that is time-consuming and difficult for beginners to make, but the outcome of the dish is so rewarding and absolutely delicious.

There are many steps that go into the dish, including mixing the rice and meat mixture, coring the squash, stuffing the grape leaves and squash, and then finally assembling the pot. I am going to teach you how to create this dish and trust me, you won’t regret the outcome! The more you make this dish, the easier and less time consuming it will take.

What you will need:

• 1 jar of grape leaves
• Calabacita Squash (about a bag full, 10-15 pieces). This is light-green and looks like zucchini. It can be found at Walmart or at your local Middle Eastern grocery store.
• Short-grain Egyptian rice washed and soaked for 1-2 hours.