Erzurum's Culture and Tourism Directorate describes Lor Dolması with bulgur, lor cheese and kaymak wrapped in evelik or chard leaves, baked and served with garlic yogurt and butter. This home version uses cultivated Swiss chard and measured quantities for four portions.
Lor Dolması — Recipe Card
Chard rolls with lor cheese, bulgur and kaymak, finished with garlic yogurt and butter
Makes 4 servings · Makes about 24 rolls, roughly 6 per portion. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes, including a 5-minute rest after baking. The exact roll count depends on leaf size.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Lor Dolması
Cook the bulgur
Rinse the bulgur in a fine sieve and drain. Put 240 ml / 1 cup of the measured boiling water in a small saucepan, add the bulgur and cover. Simmer over low heat for 12–15 minutes, until tender and the liquid is absorbed. If a little liquid remains, uncover briefly to let it evaporate. Set aside to cool slightly.
Soften the leaves
Wash the chard thoroughly. Remove any remaining thick ribs, keeping the broad leaf sections. Blanch in a separate pot of boiling water for 30–45 seconds, just until pliable. Cool under cold running water, drain and pat dry. Use smaller leaves whole and divide large ones along the rib to make about 24 wrappers.
Mix the filling
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Grease a baking dish about 28 × 22 cm / 11 × 9 inches with a little of the measured butter, reserving the rest for serving. Mix the drained lor, kaymak, cooked bulgur and salt until evenly combined.
Wrap the rolls
Divide the filling into about 24 portions. Place a leaf section shiny-side down, shape a portion of filling into a short log about 7 cm / 3 inches long and put it near the wide end. Fold in the sides and roll up firmly without tearing the leaf. Arrange seam-side down in one snug layer in the dish. Patch small tears with spare leaf pieces.
Bake until tender
Pour the remaining 120 ml / ½ cup water, hot, around the rolls. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the leaves are tender, the edges just begin to colour and the centre of the filling reaches 74°C / 165°F. Rest for 5 minutes.
Finish and serve
While the rolls bake, stir the crushed garlic into the yogurt and refrigerate until serving. Gently melt the remaining butter. Serve the warm rolls with the garlic yogurt and melted butter, sharing both toppings evenly between the four portions.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-chard-rolls-with-cheese-lor-dolmasi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Dietary notes
Vegetarian when made with the vegetarian-labelled lor and gelatin-free yogurt specified here. Contains milk and wheat (gluten); bulgur is a wheat product.
Heat level
No added chili. For a hotter variation, stir 1 g / ½ teaspoon hot pul biber into the melted finishing butter after taking it off the heat.
Choosing lor
Use a mild, unsalted, well-drained fresh curd. A practical substitute is 400 g / 14.1 oz vegetarian-labelled ricotta, drained until firm before weighing. A dry curd keeps the filling cohesive.
Kaymak alternative
Use the same 80 g / 2.8 oz of plain unsweetened clotted cream if kaymak is unavailable. Its thick texture keeps the filling rich without making it runny.
How to store and reheat Lor Dolması
Keep the yogurt topping separate when possible. Refrigerate rolls and topping in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32°C / 90°F. Keep at 4°C / 40°F or below and use within 2 days. Reheat only the rolls needed, covered in a 180°C / 350°F oven with a splash of water, until steaming hot throughout and reaching 74°C / 165°F. Serve with the chilled yogurt topping.
Lor Dolması: questions and answers
Why cook the bulgur before filling the leaves?
Precooked bulgur has already absorbed its cooking water. It mixes evenly with the curd and cream, so the filling can be divided into small logs before wrapping.
How can I stop the leaves tearing?
Blanch only until flexible, trim thick ribs and support the leaf as you roll. A small extra piece of leaf can cover a tear. Place the seam underneath to hold the parcel closed.
What can I do with the chard stalks?
Reserve the firm stalks for another cooked vegetable dish. The wrappers in this recipe use the tender leaf blades, which fold more easily around the filling.
