The signature dish of the Balkans has to be Sarma. Sarma or stuffed cabbage leaves, is the most widely-eaten dish across Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and all over Eastern Europe. Some places will use beef for the filling, others a mixture of meats and some will even top them off with a tomato-based sauce. If you happen to enjoy this dish during Lent in Serbia, you will enjoy a meatless version ( recipe coming very soon).
But what exactly is Sarma?
Sarma is made by stuffing pickled cabbage leaves with a filling consisting of ground meat, spices, and rice. Since this recipe was introduced to the Balkans during the Turkish Empire, Sarma itself gets its name from the Turkish word Sarmak, meaning to roll. Grape leaves are also used in some parts of the Balkans and you’ll often find a whole family of dishes (of which Sarma is part of) in the Middle East referred to as Dolma.
While cabbage and grape leaves are used as a wrapper, Sarma shouldn’t be confused with Punjene Paprike, or stuffed peppers. While the filling is almost identical, the dishes are treated individually.
You may be wondering where the heck you’re supposed to find pickled cabbage leaves. I’m lucky to live in a place where Eastern European products are available in multiple stores in my area, but if you don’t have that luxury, I’ve spotted jars of pickled cabbage leaves on Walmart’s website and even Amazon! I don’t have any particular brand I prefer, they all get the job done. However, if you can find whole heads of pickled cabbage that would be even better.
Traditionally, where I’m from, we use ground pork in our Sarma. But ever since I’ve started making it on my own, I’ve been using half ground pork and half of another meat, whatever I happen to have on hand. Most often it’s beef, but recently we’ve really been enjoying half pork half turkey. I encourage you to use whatever ground meat (or a combination of meat) that you like.
Sarma/Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
Course: EntreeCuisine: Balkan, Serbian6
servings35
minutes1
hourGrowing up, I remember the smell of Sarma at every special occasion and holiday. A must-have in your recipe collection!
Ingredients
1 jar (around 50 oz) of pickled cabbage leaves or a medium head of pickled cabbage, drained and rinsed (10 -15 cabbage leaves)
1 lb (450 g) ground pork
1 lb (450 g) ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 small potato, shredded
1-2 bay leaves
1 cup (235 ml) water
3 tablespoons (50 g) Vegeta seasoning
3 tablespoons (21 g) paprika (Aleva Paprika)
1 cup (250 g) white rice, cooked
Thick cut smoked bacon or any smoked meat product
Oil ( I use sunflower)
Salt
Black pepper
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 a little bit of oil (about 1 tbsp), diced onion, and the water. Cook the onion until the water has evaporated. Once the water evaporates, saute the onion in the remaining oil for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, add your ground meat to the skillet and take a couple of minutes to break it up as it cooks. Break it up as much as possible.
- When the meat is halfway cooked, add in the Vegeta seasoning, 1 tbsp of salt, and a dash of black pepper to start. You will adjust for seasoning later. Continue cooking the meat until it’s fully cooked. Do not drain the liquid.
- Once the meat is fully cooked, add the paprika, cooked rice, shredded carrot, potato, and another pinch of black pepper. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Slice smoked meat of your choice into small pieces, set aside. Prepare a baking dish by taking 1-2 pieces of the torn/small leaves and covering the bottom of your dish. This will prevent the sarma from burning.
- Referring to the slideshow above, lay one leaf on a flat surface and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the leaf. Fold in the sides and tightly roll the filling away from you. Repeat this step until you have used up all of the leaves/filling. Transfer to baking dish.
- Once you have rolled all of the sarma, distribute your smoked meat around the dish. Stick 1 or 2 bay leaves in between the sarma. Fill the dish 1/3 of the way with water. Take the remaining reserved leaves (1 or 2) and lay them on top of the sarma to cover them. They don’t all have to be completely covered, just use whatever leaves or pieces you have leftover.
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake the sarma covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue to bake another 25-30 minutes or until they turn a nice golden color and the smoked meat is nice and roasted.
Note: The leaves covering the sarma may look burned, but don’t worry, they are protecting the sarma underneath. You will throw those away. - Remove from the oven and remove the leaves covering the sarma. Serve hot with a side of sour cream, Greek yogurt, or feta cheese.
Notes
- Sarma tastes even better the next day. Great for reheating in the microwave!
- If you run into issues locating cabbage leaves, use bell peppers instead!
- Freeze any leftover filling and use at a later time.
I hope you give this recipe a try. I promise you won’t regret trying this super flavorful traditional dish. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out to me by email or on Instagram!
Happy cooking and Prijatno!
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