Thursday October 17th, 2013
Soy romanian sarmale

For approx. 35 sarmale:
1 medium sauerkraut/ cabbage
For the filling:
125 g of dry soy granules
100 g rice
2 onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons mix seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons oil
For the sauce:
4-5 tablespoons tomato paste/ 1 can diced tomatoes
juice of 1 lemon (for the cabbage version)
If the sauerkraut is too salty leave it half an hour in cold water than drain.
If you use cabbage soak each leaf in boiling water until softens (otherwise it will break when rolled). Drain.
Soak the soy granules in 150 ml water for 10 minutes (or as indicated on the package).
Heat the oil in a saucepan and stir fry the onions for 2-3 minutes then add the rice and cover with water. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Allow to cool a little bit.
Add the soy granules, the mix seasoning, paprika powder, thyme, 2 tablespoons tomato puree and the parsley. Mix well.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cabbage leaf and roll.
Finely cut the rest of the sauerkraut/cabbage. Divide it into two equal parts. Put one part of finely cuted sauerkraut/cabbage into a souppan, place the rolls on top and cover with the rest of sauerkraut/cabbage.
Dissolve the rest of the tomato puree in two glasses of water and pour over cabbage rolls (if you use cabbage than add the lemon juice too).
Cover and cook the cabbage rolls for approx. 30-45 minutes.
Serve hot with polenta.
Variation : Instead of dried soy garnules you can use only rice (300 g) adding finely chopped mushrooms or grated carrots.