Sarmale is a very typical Romanian recipe, although we can also find different versions of this preparation in Slavic cuisine. The Romanian sarmale recipe is made from a meat filling wrapped in cabbage or cabbage leaves. This time we have prepared it with beef and chicken, but you can do it with different types of meat such as lamb or pork. Sarmale is a very complete recipe, it can be served as a starter, but also as a main dish. It is gently seasoned and rice and some vegetables such as onion and tomato are added.
Do you want to know more about this delicious Romanian food? Keep reading and learn how to make sarmale!
Ingredients to make Sarmale:
• 300 kilograms of mixed meat (beef and chicken)
• 4 kale or cabbage leaves
• 1 small glass of rice
• 1 cup of homemade tomato
• 1 pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 piece of sweet onion (medium)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
How to make Sarmale:
To get started with the sarmale recipe, first finely chop the garlic and onion. Sauté those in a pan with hot oil until the onion turns transparent and the garlic turns color. Add a pinch of salt to make the onion sweat and release all the water more easily.
Add the minced meat to the sauce, stir and mix. Add pepper and thyme. Let everything cook for 4 minutes without letting the meat get too dry. Meanwhile, cook the rice with a little salt. It is not necessary that the rice is completely cooked, because then it will finish cooking completely.
Pour the tomato into the pan with the meat, stir and taste the salt. Leave it well stirred and cook without covering the pan for 3 minutes.
Add the boiled rice to the pan and stir until it is well integrated with all the ingredients. Cook for 4 minutes until you have a malleable paste.
Put a pot of water to boil and put the cabbage or cabbage leaves in it. Let them cook for approximately 3 minutes. They should not be too cooked so they do not break when filling them. Remove the leaves and carefully dry them with kitchen paper.
Cut the tough part in the center of the cabbage leaves, but only the thick piece. This will make it easier for you to fill them out. With a dessert spoon, take a little of the sofrito and fill each sheet. If you have a steamer, place each roll of sarmale in it. If you don’t have a steamer, steam them in a pot with very little water. Let them cook covered for 8 minutes.
Trick: twist by pressing and inserting the tips or ends of the cabbage leaves. It will be perfect.
Put a base of fried tomato on the plate where you will serve the sarmale. Place the meat rolls and enjoy! You can enjoy this typical Romanian recipe with seed bread or crackers.
Sarmale – Side dish and other recipes
Sarmale is a delicious Romanian food dish, but you can also find a variant of this recipe in Turkey where, instead of using cabbage leaves, vine leaves are used. In any of its presentations, sarma (which means rolled up) is a very light, low-fat and very complete dish, as it brings together meat, vegetables and cereals in a single presentation. Sarmale is usually prepared for important celebrations and is made in large quantities for all the guests. In addition, it is an incredible dish with a glass of Romanian beer and a side of mamaliga, a preparation similar to polenta.
