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Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolması)

Small sweet peppers filled with a fragrant herb and rice stuffing, then simmered in olive oil and tomato until tender and served warm or at room temperature.

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Tender green stuffed peppers with rice filling and loose caps, in cooking juices on a platter with lemon wedges, AI-generated imageAI-generated image
At a glance
  • 800 gsmall sweet peppers
  • 250 gyellow onions
  • 120 gshort or grain white rice
  • 100 gripe tomato
  • 85 glemon
Serves 4

Biber dolması is a stuffed pepper dish from Turkish home cooking. This olive oil (zeytinyağlı) style has no meat. The peppers are filled with rice that is cooked in olive oil with onion, tomato, pine nuts, currants and warm spices, then finished with plenty of fresh parsley, dill and mint.

Dishes like this are often served at room temperature as part of a meze spread or as a light main with yogurt and bread. The flavor settles and deepens as the peppers rest in their cooking juices, so they are a good make-ahead dish for a table of several plates.

What makes this version work is a few small steps. The rice is soaked briefly and only partly cooked before filling. The peppers are packed in loosely, about three quarters full, so the rice has room to swell. They are braised upright with a plate pressed on top, so they stay in place and cook gently instead of splitting. Allow about 2 hours 20 minutes in all, including roughly 40 minutes of cooling and resting.

Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolması)

Formula & Method
Servings
4
Units
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Ingredients

Peppers

Filling

Herbs

Braising liquid

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Preparation

  1. Step 0115 min

    Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear. Cover with warm water and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain well.

  2. Step 02

    While the rice soaks, slice the stem end off each pepper to make a cap and keep the caps. Scoop out the seeds and white ribs, leaving the peppers whole. Rinse the insides and set the peppers aside.

  3. Step 0310 min

    Warm 45 g olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of the filling salt. Cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned.

  4. Step 043 min

    Add the pine nuts and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until they are light golden. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

  5. Step 053 min

    Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the drained rice and stir for 2 minutes so the grains are coated in oil.

  6. Step 0610 min

    Add the grated tomato, currants, sugar, the remaining filling salt, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, dried mint and 120 g water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be only part cooked, with a firm center.

  7. Step 0710 min

    Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool for about 10 minutes, until it is no longer steaming hot. Stir in the parsley, dill, fresh mint and the juice of half the lemon (about 20 g). Taste and adjust salt.

  8. Step 0810 min

    Spoon the filling into the peppers, filling each only about three quarters full so the rice has room to swell. Set the caps on top.

  9. Step 09

    Stand the peppers upright and snug in a wide heavy pot, so they support one another. Mix 300 g hot water with the 30 g olive oil and 2 g salt, and pour it around the peppers. The liquid should come about halfway up the peppers. If it falls short, add more hot water until it reaches that level. The halfway level matters more than the exact weight, because pot size and pepper shape vary.

  10. Step 105 min

    Set a small heatproof plate upside down on top of the peppers to hold them in place. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, about 95 C (203 F).

  11. Step 1140 min

    Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 35 to 45 minutes. The peppers are done when the skins are soft and slightly wrinkled, a knife slips easily into the pepper wall, and the rice in a pepper you taste is fully tender. Check the pot after about 25 minutes. If the liquid has dropped to a thin layer and the rice is still firm, add 50 g hot water, and repeat when needed.

  12. Step 1230 min

    Turn off the heat, remove the plate, and leave the peppers in the pot, uncovered, for about 30 minutes until warm rather than hot. Serve warm or at room temperature, spooning the olive oil and tomato juices over the top, with lemon wedges.

  13. Step 13

    To store leftovers, do not wait for the pot to cool completely. Within 2 hours of finishing cooking (within 1 hour if the room is above 32 C / 90 F), move the peppers in a single layer into shallow containers, divide the cooking juices between them, cover, and refrigerate at 4 C (40 F) or below.

Kitchen notes

  • Serve within 2 hours of finishing cooking (1 hour if the room is above 32 C / 90 F). Otherwise refrigerate as described in the last step and keep for up to 3 days.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature straight from the refrigerator after 20 minutes. If you prefer them hot, reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of the juices until steaming hot all the way through, about 74 C (165 F).
  • Use small bell peppers or other small, squat, thick-walled sweet peppers that stand upright and have a wide enough opening to fill. Choose peppers of similar size so they cook at the same rate. Long, thin peppers do not suit this method of standing and supporting each other in the pot.
  • The 140 minute total includes about 40 minutes of cooling and resting: 10 minutes for the filling before stuffing and about 30 minutes for the peppers after cooking.
  • For a nut-free version, leave out the pine nuts. The flavor will be a little less rich but the dish will work well.
  • Serve with plain yogurt, crusty bread and a tomato and cucumber salad as a light meal, or as part of a meze spread.

Diet and allergens

Suitable for: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free.

Contains: tree nuts.

Labels come from the ingredient list by fixed rules. If you cook for someone with an allergy, check the labels of packaged ingredients such as stock, spice blends, tahini and bread, since brands differ. How labels work.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the rice only partly cooked before stuffing?

The rice finishes cooking inside the peppers as they braise. Starting it partly cooked gives a tender but not mushy result, and the rice absorbs the pepper and tomato juices.

Why do I fill the peppers only three quarters full?

Rice swells as it cooks. If the peppers are packed to the top, the filling can push out the caps and the peppers can split.

How much liquid should go in the pot?

Start with 300 g hot water mixed with the oil and salt, then add more hot water if needed so it comes about halfway up the peppers. If the liquid runs low and the rice is still firm, add 50 g hot water at a time.

Can I make Turkish stuffed peppers ahead?

Yes. They taste good the next day, as the flavors settle in the juices. Move them to shallow containers with the juices and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, then serve cool or at room temperature.

Can I bake them instead of simmering on the stove?

Yes. Pack them upright in a snug baking dish with the braising liquid coming halfway up, cover tightly with foil, and bake at 180 C (350 F) for about 50 to 60 minutes. They are done when the peppers are soft and the rice is fully tender.

References and sources

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