Baked Sarma

Its hard to imagine Christmas and New Year holidays without good sarma. To simplify the preparation, we can prepare the rolls a day in advance, and the next day pour the sauce over them and finish everything in the oven. The preparation is simple and quick, and the characteristic smell is not as pronounced as when we cook sarma on the stove.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 40 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 300 minutes
  • Difficulty: 1
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Meat, beef, ground

  • 100 g Rice, white, long grain

  • 2 piece Egg, fresh

  • 1 piece Onion, raw

  • 3 pods Garlic, fresh

  • 1 piece Carrot, fresh

  • pieces Salt, table

  • 1 bag Spices, paprika

  • 2 piece Sauerkraut

  • pieces Meat, pork, ribs

Sauce

  • pieces Oil, vegetable oil, canola

  • 3 spoons Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • pieces Tomato, concentrate

  • 1 teaspoon Spices, paprika

  • 1 piece Spices, bay (leaves)

  • 2 l Soup base, beef, cube

Steps

  1. In a large bowl, add the minced meat, rice, eggs, grated onion, and garlic (also carrot, if using) along with the spices. Mix the ingredients well with clean hands. If using a sarma seasoning mix, prepare it according to the instructions on the packet and mix it with the other ingredients and minced meat.

  2. Separate the cabbage head into individual leaves, and with a sharp knife, cut out the hard part. When you reach the part of the cabbage head where the leaves are too small to use for rolls, cut this part into pieces and place them as a base in a pot/container with a lid that can be placed in the oven. You can also cut the hard remnants of the leaves into strips or pieces. If the cabbage is very sour, quickly rinse the leaves under running water.

  3. Place a small ball of meat on one end of the cabbage leaf, then carefully roll it into the characteristic sarma shape. Place the rolls tightly next to each other in the container. In between, add pieces of smoked ribs. Usually, you get two layers, but make sure there is some space left at the top, as the sarma will expand slightly during cooking.

  4. Prepare the sauce. Fry the flour in heated oil. Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste, a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of ground paprika. Mix well, then pour in the broth base (you can also use 2 beef broth cubes dissolved in lukewarm water). Pour the prepared sauce over the sarma. Cover the container and place it in the oven preheated to 170 degrees Celsius for 4 to 5 hours.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 225.55 kcal
  • Fat: 14.18 g
    • Saturated Fat: 4.95 g
  • Carbohydrates: 8.63 g
    • Sugars: 0.54 g
  • Protein: 13.44 g
  • Fiber: 0.2 g

Advice

You can also mix 200-300 g of smoked bacon (or pancetta) into the minced meat, which you grind or chop into small pieces beforehand.