Sarma — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Tender sauerkraut leaves wrapped around a savory filling of seasoned ground beef and rice, slow-simmered for hours until meltingly soft in a smoky paprika broth.

Ingredients

1 head sauerkraut cabbage (kiseli kupus)
500g ground beef
200g rice, uncooked
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper
2 bay leaves
500ml beef broth
200ml tomato passata

Instructions

1 Carefully separate sauerkraut cabbage leaves, rinse if too salty, and trim thick ribs.
2 Mix ground beef, rice, diced onion, paprika, salt, and pepper into a uniform filling.
3 Place a spoonful of filling on each leaf, fold sides in, and roll tightly. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
4 Layer rolls seam-side down in a heavy pot. Pour broth and passata over, add bay leaves.
5 Cover tightly and simmer on low heat for 2.5-3 hours until cabbage is very tender and rice is cooked through.
6 Rest 15 minutes before serving. Accompany with crusty bread and kajmak.

Did You Know?

Serbian families often prepare sarma in batches of 100+ rolls for Slava (patron saint day), and it tastes even better reheated the next day.