1. Heat up 60 ml / ¼ cup of oil in a large, shallow pot with a matching lid. Add diced onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
2. Add chopped spring onions and garlic and keep on sauteing until the onion becomes translucent, making sure you stir the mixture frequently.
3. Next add in well rinsed rice and saute for about 2 minutes. Next add in chopped herbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, nutmeg and capers (if using) and stir everything really well.
4. Add 360 ml / 1½ cups of water and cover the pot with a lid. Let the mixture come to a gentle boil and simmer the rice mixture for about 5 minutes. By this time all of the water should get absorbed by the rice. Take the lid off and allow the mixture to cool off a little before filling the vine leaves.

ASSEMBLY

1. While the filling is cooling off, cut the stem off the vine leaves with a pair of kitchen scissors. Rinse the vine leaves in plenty of water and dry them on a clean kitchen towel. Work in batches, set torn or small leaves aside to line the pot with.
2. Line a medium size pot with 20 or so vine leaves (rejects are ideal for this). Arrange a layer of lemon slices on top of the leaves. These two layers prevent the bottom dolmadakia from getting scorched.
3. Place a wine leaf on a clean surface, veiny side up. Place a heaped teaspoon (the amount depends on the size of the leaf, be sure not to overfill) at the bottom of the leaf. Fold the bottom flaps up, then fold the sides over the filling and roll upwards like a burrito.
4. Roll the dolmadakia pretty tight but leave a little bit of slack to allow the rice to expand during cooking.
5. Arrange rolled up leaves, seam down, in the prepared pot, as tightly as you can. Once you complete the first layer, create the second etc. It doesn’t matter how you arrange them, you could place them all in a circle or in rows, as long as they fit in fairly snugly – it minimises the chance of them getting unravelled.

COOKING

1. Add approximately 380 ml / 1½ cups of boiling water, 4 tbsp of olive oil (if not wanting to use this much oil use 30 ml / 2 tbsp of water instead) and 4-6 tbsp of lemon juice. 6 tbsp gives these a pronounced lemony taste, so use 4 tbsp if you prefer the taste of lemon to be subtler. Generally you want the liquids to barely just cover all of the dolmadakia.
2. Weigh the rolls down with a heavy plate to make sure they do not unravel while being cooked.
3. Allow the pot to come to a gentle simmer (low heat). Simmer for about 45-60 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the pot to stand for another hour. After this time all the extra water will get absorbed – the rice will be cooked to perfection and the vine leaves will be perfectly soft.
4. Store in the fridge overnight. These are best eaten at least a day after they have been made – their flavour gets better as they rest. They keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, leftovers can be frozen.

DIPPING SAUCE (make a day ahead)

1. If using cashews or sunflower seeds, soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes.
2. Drain, rinse and transfer to a blender. Blend with just enough water to obtain a silky smooth cream-like consistency.
3. I recommend, placing the mixture in the middle of a clean muslin cloth and on a sieve with a bowl underneath and letting the excess water drain away so that the consistency is thicker and more luxurious. It’s best to do that overnight, in the fridge.
4. Season with lemon juice, grated garlic, salt and pepper. If using yogurt, I recommend an almond one – I tested thick coconut yogurt and it really did not work for me, the flavour was at odds with the dish itself.