SarmaleSour Cabbage Rolls

Name: Sarmale (Sour Cabbage Rolls)
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Romania
Ingredients: 20 pcs Sour Cabbage Leaf (whole); 150 g White Rice (rinsed); 400 g Ground Pork; 200 g Ground Beef; 150 g Onion (finely chopped); 10 g Garlic (crushed); 20 g Fresh Dill (finely chopped); 5 g Paprika; 3 g Black Pepper; 12 g Salt; 30 ml Sunflower Oil; 200 g Sour Cabbage (shredded); 2 pcs Bay Leaf; 80 g Tomato Paste; 600 ml Meat Stock; 400 ml Water

Sarmale are Romanian cabbage rolls filled with minced meat, rice, onion, and herbs, then simmered slowly with sour cabbage and tomato. This version uses a pork-and-beef filling.

Prep

50m

Cook

2h 30m

Serves

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Estimated

Nutrition

Per serving

466kcal

Calories

24g

Protein

27g

Fat

33g

Carbs

Estimated per serving from the base recipe. Actual nutrition may vary.

Before you start

Ingredients

Quantities update automatically when you change the serving size.

Rolls

20pcs
Sour Cabbage Leaf (whole)

Filling

150g
White Rice (rinsed)
400g
Ground Pork
200g
Ground Beef
150g
Onion (finely chopped)
10g
Garlic (crushed)
20g
Fresh Dill (finely chopped)
5g
Paprika
3g
Black Pepper
12g
Salt
30ml
Sunflower Oil

Pot

200g
Sour Cabbage (shredded)
2pcs
Bay Leaf

Sauce

80g
Tomato Paste
600ml
Meat Stock
400ml
Water

Cook through it

Method

Follow each step in order. Ingredient names are highlighted as you go.

8 steps

01
Keep the white rice rinsed and uncooked; it will cook inside the rolls.
02
Heat the sunflower oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic for a few seconds, then remove from the heat.
03
In a large bowl, combine the cooled white rice, cooked onion, ground pork, ground beef, fresh dill, paprika, black pepper, and salt until evenly mixed.
04
Rinse the sour cabbage leaves if they taste very salty, trim any thick rib from each leaf, and place a spoonful of filling near the base of each leaf. Fold in the sides and roll tightly.
05
Spread half of the sour cabbage over the bottom of a heavy pot and add the bay leaves.
06
Arrange the rolls snugly in layers over the cabbage.
07
Whisk together the tomato paste, meat stock, and water until smooth, then pour the mixture over the rolls. Top with the remaining sour cabbage.
08
Cover the pot and simmer very gently until the sour cabbage leaves are tender, the white rice is cooked, and the ground pork and ground beef filling reaches 71°C (160°F), keeping the liquid around 95°C (203°F).

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