RECIPE FOR PERFECT OVEN-BAKED SARMA

Oven-baked sarma is a true delight for the taste buds. Have you ever tried this version? Delicious and incredibly flavorful, it may just become your favorite way to prepare this classic dish.

Here’s a recipe to make sarma in a slightly different way—we hope you’ll love it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of sauerkraut

650 g (about 1.4 lbs) mixed ground meat

1 cup of rice

2 onions

5 cloves of garlic

4 pieces of smoked meat (about 300 g)

2 eggs

Black pepper, seasoning salt, regular salt

500 ml (about 2 cups) water

1 flat tablespoon of ground paprika

4 tablespoons of tomato purée

For the roux:

2 tablespoons of flour

Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Dice the onions and finely chop the garlic. Remove the thick stems from the sauerkraut leaves.

Sauté the onions in a bit of oil until translucent. In a separate bowl, mix the ground meat, garlic, rice, eggs, salt, seasoning, and the sautéed onions. Combine well.

Place a tablespoon of the mixture on each sauerkraut leaf and roll it tightly into a sarma. Line the bottom of a baking dish with a few sauerkraut leaves.

Arrange the sarma rolls in the dish, placing pieces of smoked meat between them. Pour in the water and add a bay leaf if desired. Cover the dish and bake for 2 hours at 200°C.

While the sarma is baking, prepare the roux. Heat oil in a pan, add the flour, and stir until lightly golden. Add the paprika, mix well, then pour in the tomato purée and two cups of water. Simmer for a few minutes.

After 2 hours, pour the roux over the sarma. Return the dish to the oven uncovered, lower the temperature to 180°C (355°F), and bake for an additional 20–30 minutes.

Enjoy your perfectly baked sarma, full of rich flavors!