Place a sauteing pan on medium heat and add 20ml of the oil. Allow to heat up and add the onions, sauteing them for about 5’ until they soften and become translucent. Remove the onions from the pan and keep aside.
In the same sauteing pan add 20ml more of the oil. Again, allow to heat up well and add the minced meat. Break the meat with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5’ until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Place in a large bowl the minced meat, rice, onions, mint, parsley, oregano, coriander, all-spice, salt, and pepper along with 30 ml of the oil. Pour the tomato pulp, the passata and the diluted tomato paste and mix.
Place a medium pot into high fire and bring to a boil. Remove from the fire and add in batches, the grape leaves and cook for about 30” to soften. Drain and repeat for the rest of the grape leaves while you fill the leaves.
Open one by one the grape leaves with the non-shiny side facing upwards making sure that the stem is cut and removed. Take a tablespoon full of the meat mixture and place it in the widest part of the leaf. Tuck in the side ends of the leave and roll tightly.
Each of the rolled leaves is placed in a non-stick casserole where we have added few grape leaves at the bottom to ensure that the koupepia don’t stick at the bottom. Each koupepi is snugly placed next to each other creating a circle of koupepia with the end of the leaf facing the bottom of the casserole.
Pour on them water, the rest of the 30 ml oil and the lemon juice, making sure that the koupepia are submerged. Place a plate on top of them to make sure that they stay submerged and keep their shape.
Cover the casserole and place on low heat to simmer for 45’.