Sarma (Meat-stuffed Cabbage Leaves) is a traditional Kosovan recipe for a dish of pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a seasoned blend of pork and beef that's oven baked. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Kosovan dish of: Meat-stuffed Cabbage Leaves (Sarma).
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Ingredients:
1.5kg pickled cabbage leaves (can be found in jars) or a medium head of pickled cabbage, drained and rinsed (10-15 cabbage leaves)
500g minced pork
500g minced beef
1 large onion, diced
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small potato, grated
1-2 bay leaves
250ml water
3 tbsp Vegeta seasoning
3 tbsp paprika
200g white rice, cooked
Thick cut smoked bacon or any smoked meat product
Oil for frying
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
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 as you will use them later. Drain all the water and refill with fresh water. Set aside until ready to use.
In a deep frying pan over medium heat, add a little oil (about 1 tbsp) followed by the diced onion, and the water. Cook the onion until the water has evaporated. Once the water evaporates, sauté the onion in the remaining oil for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes, add your minced meat to the pan and take a couple of minutes to break it up as it cooks. Break it up as much as possible.
When the meat about half cooked, add the Vegeta seasoning, 1 tbsp of salt, and a generous pinch of black pepper. 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, grated carrot, potato, and another pinch of black pepper. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Slice the smoked meat of your choice into small pieces, then set aside. Prepare a baking dish by taking 1-2 pieces of the the reserved torn/small cabbage leaves and covering the bottom of your dish. This will prevent the sarma from burning.
Now prepare the sarmas. Take a cabbage leaf and lay on a flat surface then spoon 1-2 tbsp 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 and 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 full 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.
Pre-heat your to 200C. Cover the baking dish with kitchen foil and transfer to the centre of your 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 colour and the smoked meat is nice and roasted.
Don't worry if 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 an accompaniment of sour cream, Greek yoghurt, or feta cheese.
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