Posna Sarma/Vegan Cabbage Rolls

If you’ve had food from the Balkans then you’ve undoubtedly heard of or tried Sarma. Sarma, stuffed pickled cabbage leaves, is a staple on holiday tables and serves as both an every-day food as well as a special occasion main dish. Savory, tangy, and full of comforting flavors, it’s one of my favorite dishes.

Sarma preparation varies depending on the country and region and comes in both meat and vegetarian/vegan versions. The name itself means “wrapped” in the Turkish language so you can guess where this dish originates from. While we enjoy the meat variety most, certain holidays call for vegan versions to be prepared. This recipe in particular is most often enjoyed in the days leading up to Orthodox Christmas.

The ingredients for this Posna Sarma are few but important. Onions, rice, and potatoes, along with some familiar spices come together to make up this delicious traditional meal. Paprika and Vegeta, two spices found in most Balkan dishes flavor the sarma and give it a nice deep red/orange appearance that make it a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. While in recent years there has been some debate and concerns regarding the MSG content in Vegeta, I can’t imagine some dishes, including this one without it. I buy the non-MSG version these days since I can’t imagine making my favorite traditional dishes without it. It really isn’t the same when left out.

A quick note about this recipe. While I like to use both rice and potato in this recipe, you can use all rice or all potato if you’d prefer. Some members of my family use potato only and omit the rice but I prefer the taste and texture using the ingredients I’ve outlined below. You can even stuff any vegetable you’d like with this mixture too, including tomatoes, zucchini, and of course peppers as well. As with most vegan Balkan dishes, it tastes even better the next day 🙂

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Posna Sarma/Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: MainCuisine: Balkan, Serbian

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

A simple, delicious, and traditional meatless meal.

Ingredients

• 1 jar (around 50 oz) of pickled cabbage leaves or 1 medium head of pickled cabbage, drained and rinsed (10-15 cabbage leaves)

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 leek, chopped (optional)

• 2 large carrots, grated

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 large potatoes, grated

• 2 cups (400 g) white rice, cooked

• 1-2 bay leaves

• 3 tablespoons (50 g) Vegeta seasoning, to taste

• 3 tablespoons (21 g) paprika (Aleva Paprika), to taste

• Oil

• Salt

• Black pepper (biber)

Directions

• Prepare your cabbage leaves. If using leaves from a jar, remove them carefully, and transfer to a large bowl filled with cold water. Unroll the leaves and separate them, setting aside 5-6 leaves. If some are torn or really small that is fine, set those not-so-nice-looking ones aside. Do not discard them, you will use them later. Drain all the water and refill with fresh water. Set aside until ready to use.
• In a high-sided skillet on medium heat, add about 1/2 cup (100 ml) of oil, diced onion, and leeks if using. Cook the onion until soft and just turning translucent. Then add in the grated carrots and continue cooking until the onions have become translucent and the carrots very soft, about 3-4 minutes.
• Turn down the heat slightly and add in the minced garlic. Stir and cook until you begin to smell the garlic. Cook and stir everything for another minute and remove from the heat.
• To the onions and garlic add the cooked white rice, grated potato and the seasonings (except for the bay leaves). Stir everything very well and taste for seasoning. It’s ok that there is raw potato, a taste will be fine. 🙂
  
  When adding salt keep in mind that the pickled cabbage is already salty so proceed with caution. Add less salt than you normally would because of this. The cabbage will release salt into the filling as the sarma cooks.
  
• Drain your cabbage leaves and then proceed with filling each leaf and rolling.
• Line your baking dish or large pot with any torn cabbage leaves. Place the finished sarma into your baking dish. Add the bay leaves to the dish as well. Place any remaining torn leaves of cabbage on top of the sarma to prevent burning in the oven later.
• Pour enough water into your baking dish until it reaches the sarma about halfway up. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 F/200 C oven for 30-40 minutes.
  
  After about 40 minutes, uncover the baking dish and finish baking the sarma in the oven until it slightly browns on top.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• You can also cook your sarma on the stove in a large pot. If using this method, cover your sarma with enough water to just cover all the rolls completely. Cover and cook on medium heat (maintaining a simmer) until the sarma is completely cooked. The time will depend on whether you are using a gas or electric stove.
• This dish tastes best the next day. Store any leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.