We've been in Belgrade for nearly 3 years now, but this is the first time trying to cook proper Serbian food. Decided to give it a try after our Serbian neighbor down the street gave us some when we moved into our house. It tasted awesome, so we tried making one ourselves!
We made the filling with minced meat, some rice, and chorizo sausages. I tried shopping for the cured hams(?) that I saw Serbians eat, but I didn't know which ones to buy and the cured meats selection at Maxi was just too big. I really want to try the cured meats but don't know where to get started. Anyway, we rolled it up in cabbage leaves. I know its supposed to be fermented, but we just steamed it in hot water as we didn't know how to ferment it. I bought packaged Sarma sauce powder from Maxi, threw in some orzo pasta I had in my kitchen, and roasted it in the oven.
Does it look like Sarma that most Serbs would make and eat at home? Do you normally make your own sauce or do most people use the powder packs from Maxi? What cured meats do you usually eat and do you eat them raw? What are they called/what should I ask the staff for? Appreciate any comments!
—
Dedinje_
6 comments
Looks tasty, not sure if chorizo is good add on, but it might be. Enjoy it
You can buy pickled cabbage in most larger stores or at your local market. You can also roll them into zelje – garden patience plant I think for a milder version (not pickled, so it’s closer to what you made) and still have it be delicious.
Definitely looks like sarma. I hope it tasted as great as it looks!
Instead of the *Sarma sauce pack* from Maxi, you can make your own *zaprška,* it’s very easy. You just need a bit of oil, flour and aleva paprika (red powdered paprika). Like 2-ish teaspoons of each powder, max. Put them in a small pan and mix it regularly on low heat. After a few minutes, it’s ready. You don’t want it to be liquidish or thick like a paste, but somewhere in the middle. You pour that over the sarma and leave it to cook. This will give it a bit stronger aroma (from paprika) and help it thicken (thanks to the flour).
As for other flavours from the sauce, that’s up to you to experiment and give it your own spice.
Good luck!
Looks good 👌
Just buy pre-fermented cabbage. Well actually the correct term is – brined cabbage. Fermented cabbage would be way too acidic (like kimchi). The way we make it is with a lot of salt, water and some preservatives. You just make sure to mix up the brine from time to time and keep it in a dark place with a heavy thing to keep the cabbage under the brine. Its easy but you need a basement or closet
You did a great job! They look delicious. Here in Serbia, sarma is usually made from ground pork or a mixture of pork and beef in a ratio of 3:1. Important – never buy ready-made ground meat in maxi, but choose a piece of meat and ask them to grind it for you (or grind it at home). Instead of sausage, add chopped smoked bacon to the meat. And the best sauce for cooking is a mixture of tomato juice and chicken stock. Add spices you like, chili, smoked ground pepper, celery, bay leaf. You can also add a few pieces of smoked pork ribs. Enjoy!