Recipes · Serbian · Main Courses

Posna Sarma (Lenten Cabbage Rolls with Walnuts and Rice)

One serving has 565 kcal and 11 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of manganese (113%), copper (89%), vitamin K (88%), vitamin C (52%), pyridoxine (50%) and folate (50%). Ready in 150 minutes.

• Preparation: 40 min
• Cooking: 110 min
• Makes: 1 serving (609 g)
• Difficulty: Medium
• Diets: Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
• Contains: nut

Ingredients

• 200 g Sour cabbage leaves (whole soured cabbage)
• 45 g Rice, white, medium-grain
• 30 g Walnuts, ground
• 60 g Onions, raw
• 3 g Garlic, raw
• 15 g Sunflower oil
• 2 g Paprika, sweet
• 0.3 g Black pepper
• 3 g Parsley, fresh
• 0.2 g Bay leaf
• 250 g Water

Method

1. Separate the leaves of the soured cabbage. Taste one: if it is very sour or salty, rinse the leaves in cold water. Shave down the thick rib of each leaf so it rolls easily, and finely chop the smallest leaves and the trimmings.
2. Cook the finely chopped onion in the oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until soft. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika, pepper, crushed garlic, ground walnuts and chopped parsley. The cabbage brings all the salt the sarma needs.
3. Put a spoonful of the filling near the base of each leaf, fold the sides over it and roll it up firmly but not too tightly, as the rice swells.
4. Spread half the chopped cabbage over the bottom of a heavy pot. Lay the rolls on it side by side, seam down, in layers, tuck in the bay leaf, and cover with the rest of the chopped cabbage.
5. Pour in the water so it just covers the rolls, and weigh them down with a heatproof plate so they don't move while they cook.
6. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the rice is soft and the leaves are tender. Shake the pot now and then rather than stirring. Add a little hot water if it gets dry.
7. Leave it to rest off the heat for 10 minutes and serve warm, with bread. Posna sarma is eaten on Christmas Eve (Badnje veče) and in the fasts, when Orthodox Serbs eat no meat, eggs or milk.

Nutrition per serving

Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.

Climate footprint

0.6 kg CO2e a serving: lower than most main dishes on SustainBite. Source: ADEME, Agribalyse 3.2.

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