Töltött káposzta, Hungarian cabbage rolls, are made for holidays and all through the cold season. They are wrapped in sauerkraut leaves rather than fresh cabbage and braised in layers with smoked meat.

The recipe was shared by the Hungarian outlet Telex in its cookery school for beginners. The author promises the dish is long but not difficult.

Salt is added carefully, as sauerkraut and smoked meat are already salty. If they are very salty, rinse them under the tap.

What you need

  • minced pork, 500 g;
  • rice, 100 g;
  • egg, 1;
  • ground cumin, 1 tsp;
  • salt, 1 small spoon;
  • sauerkraut leaves, 10;
  • onion, 1 medium;
  • streaky bacon, 100 g;
  • ground paprika, 1 tbsp;
  • shredded sauerkraut, 1 kg;
  • smoked pork neck or knuckle, 200 g;
  • bay leaves, 3;
  • sour cream, to serve.

How to cook

1. Make the filling. Mix the mince with the uncooked rice, egg, cumin, salt and a large handful of shredded sauerkraut. Mix well.

2. Roll. Lay a leaf on a board, cut off about 2 cm of the thick vein and put a heaped tablespoon of filling on it. Roll it up and tuck in the sides. If you run out of leaves, shape the remaining filling into small balls.

3. Make the base. Dice the bacon and chop the onion. Render the bacon fat at the bottom of a large pot over a low heat, add the onion and soften it, then stir in the paprika. Set aside and dice the smoked meat.

4. Layer. In a heavy pot put a little of the bacon mixture, a layer of shredded sauerkraut, a handful of smoked meat and a layer of cabbage rolls. Repeat, adding the filling balls, and finish with sauerkraut and bay leaves.

5. Braise. Pour in water or stock to come halfway up, cover and braise over a low heat or in the oven at 150 °C for about 3 hours, checking from time to time that there is enough liquid.

Serve with sour cream. The dish can be made the day before — it tastes even better the next day.

As a reminder, we have already made bigos with sauerkraut to last several days.

Nota bene

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