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Sarma

A dish of cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of bacon, onions, ground meats, rice, and tomato soup, simmered in liquid.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Beef and pork match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,690 recipes. Both carry 12-methyltridecanal, which smells tallowy, beefy. The science ↓

Sarma

Time2 to 2-1/2 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the cabbage

  1. Remove bruised leaves from cabbage and cut out center core. Pour boiling water over cabbage to soften.

  2. Separate cabbage leaves and drain.

Make the filling

  1. Meanwhile, saute bacon and onion until bacon is done.

  2. Add half the tomato soup.

  3. Beat eggs and add salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, ground beef, pork and ham.

  4. Add bacon mixture and rice and mix thoroughly.

Roll and simmer

  1. Place heaping tablespoon of stuffing at core end of each cabbage leaf and roll carefully, tucking in ends.

  2. Place rolls in layers in Dutch oven or heavy kettle.

  3. Chop small unused leaves and place over top.

  4. Pour remaining soup and add enough water to cover rolls.

  5. Cover and simmer 2 to 2-1/2 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1100Calories
95 gProtein
44 gFat
76 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Pork100g cooked242
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Ham100g cooked145
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Soupnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + porktop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,690 recipes

    Shared aroma: 12-methyltridecanal (tallowy, beefy).

  2. Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,081 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Cabbage + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,001 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cabbage
Its leaves form the wrapper that holds the filling and softens when blanched.
Ground beef
Provides the meaty body and savory flavor of the filling.
Ground pork
Adds fat and juiciness to the filling so it stays moist while cooking.
Eggs
Bind the meat and rice together so the filling holds its shape when rolled.
Cooked rice
Absorbs juices and lightens the filling, keeping it tender.
Tomato soup
Forms a tangy, sweet tomato sauce that flavors the rolls as they simmer.

The step that matters

Rolling the cabbage leaves. Rolls must be wrapped snugly with ends tucked in so the filling does not leak out during simmering. Loose rolls can fall apart and release filling into the sauce.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, tomato, egg, pepper, sauce, beef, pork):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Potatofits better
  3. Chivefits better
  4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, tomato, egg, pepper, sauce, beef, pork. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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