Place the grape leaves in hot water until they turn brown and become soft enough to roll. Rinse them with regular water and let them dry.

Soak the rice in hot water with a little salt for 30 minutes, then rinse the rice well.

In a bowl, combine the rice, ground beef, black pepper, salt, and mixed spices. Mix well.

Lay out a grape leaf, place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center, and roll it up. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.

After rolling all the grape leaves, group every 6 rolls together and loosely tie them with white kitchen string. This helps keep them together during cooking and makes it easier to serve later.

Place the chicken pieces in a large pot, add hot water, and boil for 10 minutes. Discard the boiling water.

Arrange the groups of stuffed grape leaves on top of the chicken in the pot. Distribute the peeled garlic cloves between them.

Place a plate that fits inside the pot (but does not cover it completely) on top of the grape leaves to keep them pressed down during cooking.

Add enough water to the pot to cover the grape leaves. Don’t forget to add salt to the water to taste.

Place a small bowl filled with water on top of the plate inside the pot to help keep the grape leaves submerged while cooking.

Cook over medium heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Enjoy!