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Sarmale
Romanian sour-cabbage rolls with pork, rice and smoked bacon, slow-baked in tomato
Pork and rice rolled in fermented cabbage leaves, layered with smoked bacon and baked slowly in tomato for three hours, served with mămăligă and cold smântână. Soaking the sour cabbage first keeps the salt in check, and the long, gentle heat makes the leaves silky and the filling tender.
- Energy
- 895 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 1 h 15 min
- Cook
- 3 h 15 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Protein
- 35 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Large bowl or sink for soaking the cabbage
- Frying pan (26 cm)
- Large mixing bowl
- Sharp paring knife
- Heavy ovenproof pot with lid (5–6 l), cast iron or enamelled
- Heatproof plate that fits inside the pot
- Medium heavy saucepan and whisk for the mămăligă
- Instant-read thermometer
Before you start
- Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water and leave it to drain.
- Finely chop the onions and the dill.
- Cut the smoked bacon into slices 1 cm thick and about 5 cm long.
- Heat the oven to 160 °C before you start rolling, so it is ready when the pot is assembled.
- Take the smântână out of the fridge only when you serve: it should be cold.
Method
-
Soak the cabbage
2 kg whole sour cabbage headsCut the core out of each cabbage head with a paring knife. Put the heads in a large bowl of cold water and soak for 1 hour, changing the water once halfway.
Done when A torn piece of leaf tastes pleasantly sour and only mildly salty, like a pickle rather than brine.
Tip Taste the cabbage before soaking: mild heads need only 30 minutes, very salty ones need 2 hours and two changes of water. This step decides the salt level of the whole dish.
-
Soften the onion
300 g onions45 ml sunflower oilHeat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often.
Done when The onion is translucent and soft enough to crush with the spoon, with only the very edges turning golden.
-
Toast the rice
150 g short- or medium-grain rice30 g tomato pasteAdd the drained rice and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, then tip everything into the mixing bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Done when The rice grains turn opaque at the edges, the paste darkens to brick red and the pan smells sweet, not raw.
-
Mix the filling
1 kg minced pork1 bunch dill1 tsp dried thyme2 tsp sweet paprika2 tsp black pepper10 g fine saltAdd the minced pork, dill, thyme, paprika, black pepper and the salt for the filling to the cooled rice. Knead by hand for 2 minutes with a splash of cold water.
Done when The mixture is sticky, holds together when squeezed and the rice is spread evenly with no clumps of plain meat.
Tip Fry a teaspoon of filling in a hot pan and taste it. Raw pork cannot be tasted safely, and this is the last chance to adjust salt and pepper.
-
Prepare the leaves
2 kg whole sour cabbage headsPeel the leaves off the heads one by one. Shave the thick central rib of each leaf flat with the knife and cut very large leaves in half along the rib. Finely chop the small inner leaves and any torn ones.
Done when Each leaf lies flat on the board and folds over without cracking at the rib.
-
Roll the sarmale
1 kg minced pork2 kg whole sour cabbage headsPut a heaped tablespoon of filling at the base of a leaf. Fold the bottom over it, fold in the sides, roll up firmly and push the open end inside the roll with your finger.
Done when Each roll is about the length of a thumb, feels firm and the seam stays closed when you set it down.
Tip Roll snugly but not tight: the rice swells by about a third and can split an overstuffed leaf.
-
Line the pot
2 kg whole sour cabbage heads200 g smoked streaky bacon3 leaves bay leavesSpread half of the chopped cabbage over the bottom of the ovenproof pot. Lay a few slices of bacon and the bay leaves on top.
Done when The bottom of the pot is completely covered and no metal shows through.
Tip This layer protects the rolls from the hot base; without it the bottom row scorches.
-
Layer the rolls
200 g smoked streaky bacon1 tsp black peppercorns2 kg whole sour cabbage headsArrange the rolls seam-side down in tight circles, starting at the edge. Tuck the remaining bacon and the peppercorns between the layers, then cover with the rest of the chopped cabbage.
Done when The rolls are packed so closely they cannot shift when you tilt the pot, and the top layer of cabbage hides them.
-
Add the liquid
500 g tomato passata2.6 l waterPour the passata over the top, then add water until the rolls are just covered. Press an upturned heatproof plate on top to hold everything down.
Done when When you press the plate, the liquid rises about 1 cm above the top layer of cabbage.
-
Bring to a simmer
Set the pot on the stove over medium heat and bring it to a gentle simmer, 10–15 minutes.
Done when Small bubbles break around the edge of the pot and the plate trembles slightly.
-
Bake slowly
Cover with the lid and bake at 160 °C for 3 hours. After 2 hours, check the level and add hot water if the top layer of cabbage is no longer moist.
Done when The leaves are translucent and cut with the side of a spoon, the rice is soft, and the centre of a roll reads at least 71 °C.
Tip Always top up with hot, not cold, water; cold water stops the simmer and toughens the leaves.
160 °C · 320 °F -
Rest the pot
Take the pot out of the oven and leave it covered for 15 minutes.
Done when The bubbling has stopped, the sauce has thickened slightly and a roll lifts out whole on a spoon.
-
Cook the mămăligă
2.6 l water10 g fine salt400 g fine yellow cornmealBring the rest of the water to the boil over high heat with the remaining salt. Rain in the cornmeal in a thin stream while whisking, turn the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
Done when The mămăligă is thick, glossy, pulls away from the sides of the pan and no longer tastes gritty.
Tip Start this during the oven rest of the sarmale. Pouring the cornmeal in at once makes lumps: let it fall through your fingers while you whisk.
-
Serve
400 g smântână400 g fine yellow cornmealPlate four rolls per person with some of the cabbage and a spoon of sauce. Add a slice or a spoonful of mămăligă and a generous spoon of cold smântână.
Done when The smântână begins to melt into the hot tomato sauce at its edges.
Common mistakes
The sarmale are far too salty.
Fix The cabbage was not soaked long enough. Taste a leaf after soaking and keep changing the water until it tastes mild; reduce the salt in the filling for salty cabbage.
The rolls unravel in the pot.
Fix Push the open end inside each roll, pack them tightly seam-side down, and weigh them down with a plate so they cannot float.
The rice in the centre is still hard.
Fix The liquid dropped too low or the oven ran cool. Keep the rolls covered with liquid, check the oven at 160 °C and give them another 30 minutes.
The bottom layer is burnt.
Fix Always line the pot with chopped cabbage and bacon, and bake in the oven rather than boiling hard on the stove.
The leaves are tough and chewy.
Fix The rib was left thick or the cooking was cut short. Shave the rib flat and do not shorten the 3-hour bake.
Serving
Serve hot with warm mămăligă and cold smântână on the side. A hot green pepper or pickled peppers are the traditional extra; no other side is needed.
Storage and reheating
Keep in their sauce in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat covered in a pot over low heat with a few tablespoons of water for 20–25 minutes, until piping hot in the centre. Mămăligă keeps 2 days in the fridge; slice and pan-fry it to reheat.
Make ahead
Sarmale taste better the next day: bake them up to 2 days ahead, cool quickly and refrigerate in the pot. Make the mămăligă just before serving.
Variations
Pork and beef
Use 600 g minced pork and 400 g minced beef. The rolls are firmer and slightly leaner; keep the bacon for fat and smoke.
With fresh cabbage
Blanch the leaves of a fresh white cabbage in boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes until pliable. Add 150 ml of cabbage brine or the juice of 1 lemon to the pot for sourness.
In vine leaves
Use rinsed brined vine leaves and a teaspoon of filling per leaf for small rolls. Bake for 2 hours and serve with smântână mixed with chopped dill.
Vegan (de post)
Replace the pork with 600 g finely chopped mushrooms browned in oil, 1 grated carrot and an extra 100 g rice; omit the bacon and add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Bake for 2 hours and serve with mămăligă but without smântână.
