A recent discussion on social networks has sparked a debate about the use of eggs in sarma. While some people claim that adding an egg to the mixture helps to bind the ingredients together, others argue that it serves no purpose at all. As a journalist, we are interested in hearing your thoughts on how you prepare this dish.
We have come across a recipe for sarma from a 1952 publication called “Book for every woman,” which was published by Hrvatski Seljački Tisk in Zagreb. According to this recipe, the egg is an essential ingredient in sarma preparation. Here are the ingredients and procedure:
Sarma Filling:
* 1 pound ground meat (beef or pork)
* 1 small onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
* One egg per pound of meat used (optional)
Procedure: Mix all listed ingredients well in a bowl. Remove leaves from each head of greens and cut the ribs slightly thinner without damaging the leaves. Place a sauerkraut leaf in your hand palm-side down and spoon a bit of filling onto it. Fold the bottom end of the leaf over the filling, then roll up towards you, tucking in any loose ends as you go along. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling until all is used up. Set aside until ready to cook.
Broth: Make broth by boiling water or soup stock with chopped carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper until well-flavored. Add sardines on top of greens when ready to serve; cover pan and cook slowly for three to four hours or until meat is tender and sauce has thickened slightly. If greens become too sour during cooking time, add one or two sugar cubes to balance out flavor; if using whey instead of water for broth, add more salt accordingly to keep flavors balanced out properly.
So there you have it! Do you like adding eggs to your sarma? Let us know what you think!