Warak Enab — Tripoli’s Stuffed Vine

Rinse the short-grain rice thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear. In a bowl, combine the rice with the raw lamb mince, salt, baharat spice, melted ghee and crushed edible roses. Using your hands, mix everything together until the lamb mince is fully combined with the rice. Set this aside while you prepare the vine leaves.

If using fresh vine leaves, remove the stems by cutting right up to the base of each leaf so no tough pieces remain. Stack them by size — large, medium and small — to make blanching easier. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and dip each stack of leaves in for 30 seconds to one minute, just until the colour changes and they become flexible. A pair of slotted spoons to hold them under the water works well. Do not over-blanch — they will soften too much and tear when you roll them. Once softened, remove and set aside.

To roll, lay a leaf flat on a clean surface, dull veiny side facing up. Place the filling across the top end where the stem was — the amount will depend on the leaf size, roughly 1-2 teaspoons. Do not overfill. Fold in the sides, then roll firmly but not tightly, giving the rice room to expand as it cooks. Continue rolling all remaining leaves.

For store- bought jarred leaves, soak in fresh water for 30 minutes and rinse well.

Place the lamb shanks and lamb necks in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any foam or scum as it rises to the surface. Drain the meat completely, then rinse under cold water until clean. Season the lamb pieces well with salt and black pepper. In a deep pot, place the seasoned lamb pieces across the bottom.

Arrange the rolled vine leaves tightly around and on top of the lamb, filling any gaps and working in compact layers with the rolls pointing toward the centre — this helps everything cook evenly. Season the rolled vine leaves with salt.

Begin cooking around midday the day before you plan to serve.

Find a ceramic plate just slightly smaller than the diameter of your pot and place it upside down over the vine leaves. 

Rest a heavy bowl of water on top to weigh it down. This keeps everything firmly in place during the long cook. 

Or, if you have a traditional perforated ceramic plate like the one used in Lebanese kitchens, even better — its holes allow steam to escape naturally while still holding everything firmly in place. Add water until the level sits about 2 to 3 cm above the plate — approximately 3 litres depending on the size of your pot, leaving extra space at the top as the pot will bubble during cooking.  Pour in the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and cover with a lid.

Simmer gently throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Turn the heat off before bed.

The following morning, bring the pot back up to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and continue cooking for another 8 to 12 hours, depending on your dinner time, keeping the lid slightly ajar rather than fully covered so the pot can breathe. A few hours before serving, ladle a small amount of the zoum — the juice stock — into a bowl and taste it. Adjust for salt and lemon, return it to the pot and continue simmering with the lid still slightly ajar.

Turn off the heat and allow the pot to rest for 10 minutes. If there is an excess of zoum, carefully tip it out into a bowl. Then gently tip the vine leaves and meat out into your serving tray. Add a little of the reserved zoum over the top if needed. Keep the remaining zoum — if you have leftovers, pour it over them before storing. It makes reheating perfect the next day.

A FEW THINGS YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I really cook this in one day, or does it need to be two?
You can absolutely start this in the morning and have it ready for dinner — 8 to 10 hours of simmering will give you beautifully cooked Warak Enab with tender meat and perfectly soft vine leaves. That said, the longer it goes, the more the zoum transforms. In Tripoli, the zoum is almost a competition — cooks take pride in how deep and dark green it becomes after a long, slow cook, that fully matured quality that tells you the pot has been going all day and all night. Some will cook it for 24 hours, others push to 48. Once you've tasted zoum that's been given that kind of time, you'll understand completely.

Is there a quicker version of Warak Enab?
There is — and it's the one I learned from my mother- in-law. The rolling is exactly the same, the ingredients are the same, but her version is done in 3 to 4 hours on the stovetop. It's the recipe I started with, and it's a beautiful, achievable cook for any day of the week. You can find it on the site — it's the one I'd point you to if this is your first time making Warak Enab. Come back to this long-simmer version once you've got the rolling technique down and you're ready for the full Tripoli experience.

What is the zoum?
Zoum is the juice stock that forms at the bottom of the pot as the Warak Enab cooks. It's a combination of the lemon juice, water, lamb fat and the flavours from both the meat and the vine leaves. It's deeply savoury, beautifully lemony and incredibly good. Don't throw it away — pour it over the dish when serving and save any extra for reheating leftovers.

How do I know when the Warak Enab is ready?
The rice inside the rolls should be completely tender and the vine leaves soft — not falling apart, but yielding. The meat will be very tender and pulling from the bone. Taste the zoum for seasoning a few hours before you plan to serve and adjust from there.

Can I use jarred vine leaves instead of fresh?
Absolutely. Fresh vine leaves are wonderful when in season, but jarred vine leaves work very well. Store-bought jarred leaves just need a 30-minute soak and rinse. If you've jarred your own in homemade brine, soak them overnight — homemade brine is usually much saltier and the leaves need longer to release it.

What's the difference between this and the vegetarian version?
My Warak Enab bel Zeit on the site is made without meat and cooked in olive oil — it's a lovely version, but it serves more as a side dish. This recipe, with the lamb mince filling and the slow-braised shanks and necks, is a full, hearty main. Two very different experiences.

Why do I need to rinse the rice until the water runs clear?
Rinsing removes the excess starch from the surface of the rice. If you skip this step, the rice can become gluey and clump together inside the vine leaves instead of cooking up soft and separate. It only takes a minute or two and it makes a real difference to the final texture.

What does "lid slightly ajar" actually mean?
Just leave a small gap — enough for steam to escape so the pot isn't fully sealed, but not so much that you lose too much liquid. Resting the lid at an angle, or propping one edge up slightly with a wooden spoon, both work well. You're aiming for a gentle, steady simmer where the zoum can reduce nicely and develop that deeper colour and not be watery, without the pot drying out.