Sarma / Holubtsi

What you put:

For filling:

• 3 Large brown onion (finely dice)
• 1 Kilo beef and 1 kilo pork mince (half and half)
• 5 Slice bacon (no fat, chop thin)
• 3 Garlic clove (crush)
• 400g Arborio rice (you wash good)
• 2 Spoon sunflower oil
• 1 Yellow capsicum (whole, no seed). If no have, that OK
• 1 Red chili (optional)
• Salt and pepper (how you like)
• 1 Heaped spoon Vegeta
• 1–2 Spoon sweet paprika (optional)
• Smoked pork soft bone (from deli, not supermarket)

For cabbage:

• 2 Big pickled cabbage heads (if leaf too big, you cut it half)

For sauce:

• 4 Spoon sunflower oil
• 3 Spoon flour
• 600 Mi cold water
• 600 Mil tomato passata
• 2 full spoon sweet paprika
• Salt (taste and see)
• 2 Spoon sweet chili sauce (optional)
• Tomato paste (if you want more tomato tasting)

How you do:

1. Make filling

Heat oil, fry onion until soft
Add bacon, cook few minute
Put mince meat and garlic
Salt, Vegeta, pepper — all in
Add chili if want spicy
Cook 15–20 minute
Put paprika if you want
Cook 10 more minute, turn off Put in washed rice and mix

2. Roll the sarma

Take cabbage leaf. (Trim off bit of hard core)
Put spoon meat near base
Fold side, roll tight
Thumb push ends in
Pack roll in big baking tray. Ok to have 2 layer.
Add soft pork bone between for flavour Put leftover meat inside yellow capsicum, add to tray. capsicum give nice smell.

3. Make sauce

Heat oil in pot
Add flour, stir until smooth
Pour water slow, then tomato passata
Add paprika, salt
Cook 20 minute
Add sweet chili Add tomato paste if you want more tomato taste

4. Bake it

Pour sauce over sarma
Add 1 - 2 cup water if sauce too thick
Cover tray
Bake 180°C for 2 hour

How you serve:

Wait little bit before eat
Best with bread - wipe all sauce

Baka tell you:

“My mama her roll cabbage like this. I still do same."
"I was 16. New bride. Father-in-law say ‘You stay, you cook.’ I just do what I see my mother do."
"Barbara, she make thousand sarma — I learn from her too.”