Drob Sarma is a Balkan-style rice-based dish made, traditionally, with finely cut lamb offal, fresh herbs and fragrant spices. But don’t be alarmed. If you aren’t a fan of offal like me, I will show you how to prepare it with lamb liver and mushrooms instead. I also use fresh wild garlic or sorrel in this recipe. I planted wild garlic in my garden some time ago and often use it for cooking or in salads, but you can forage for it as it grows wild everywhere in the countryside right now. You can even freeze some to use later. Although, originally, this dish was made as a stuffing for lamb, it’s often served as a main today.

If you decide to make this dish with offal, substitute the liver with offal and follow the same steps as when making it with the liver. A vegetarian and vegan-friendly option can be prepared without the liver following my recipe.

What is  Sarma? 

The word sarma comes from the Turkish language and translates as wrapped. This term is used for dishes where the rice stuffing is cooked wrapped in something. That can be in a vine leaf, a cabbage leaf, or even meat.

As I already mentioned, the original recipe for Drob Sarma was developed for stuffing a whole lamb which was then roasted. The stuffing contains liver (drob in Bulgarian) and is cooked inside the lamb, wrapped in meat. That’s where the name of the dish Drob sarma comes from.

The locals love this dish so much and over the years they have developed many recipe variations for Drob Sarma as a main. Most of these recipes call for a topping made with yoghurt and egg, similar to the one in the Moussaka dish.

Importance of this dish in Bulgaria.

The most significant holidays for all Christians in the Balkans are Easter (Tvetnitsa) and St George’s Day. Easter not only honours the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, but it marks the beginning of a new cycle in nature and celebrates the flowers and the green pastures. St George’s Day, on the other hand, celebrates the new lambing season and the shepherds. It also honours the saint’s bravery, healing abilities and philanthropy. In Bulgaria, St George’s Day is also a national day of the army, with St George being its patron and a symbol of the Bulgarian soldiers’ bravery. Even the Muslim nations on the peninsula celebrate St George’s Day under the name al Kadir, a symbol of medicine and healing.

Back home, Drob sarma is a dish that celebrates these two significant holidays. By old tradition, on Easter and St George’s Day, a lamb is slaughtered, and nothing goes to waste. The whole lamb is roasted on a spit or in a professional oven, and the internal parts are used for making Drob Sarma stuffing to complement the roasted lamb.

How to make Drob Sarma?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Meat – Although this dish is commonly made with offal, I only eat the liver and do not like the taste and texture of the rest of the internal organs of the lamb. If you don’t eat meat, you can make this recipe without the liver, and the dish will still be delicious and satisfying.

Mushrooms – The mushrooms give a complex texture to the dish and add moistness and flavour. You can use any kind of mushroom, as long as they are meaty. I love to use wild mushrooms with this recipe for their distinct earthy or musty flavours, but button, flat and even some exotic mushrooms work well in this dish.

Root vegetables – Chopped onions and carrots add texture to the Drob Sarma.

Rice – You will need white rice to make this dish. Arborio risotto rice isn’t suitable for cooking in the oven. Avoid also long grain rice, like basmati or jasmine. They have a thin grain and dry out in the oven. It’s much better to use large-grain rice, like everyday rice for example.

Greens – You will need plenty of spring onions. And, to make the dish even more delicious, add chopped leaves of wild garlic, spinach or sorrel. They will bring freshness and a lovely green flavour to it.

Spices – The authentic Balkan-style spices are crucial for authentic taste. Use spearmint to lift the flavours and sweet paprika to balance it. Both slices bring natural sweetness and a hint of fruitiness into the dish. For a more intense flavour, add some savoury spice or dried basil.

Milk – Adding a bit of milk, diluted in water to the rice will make the texture of the dish creamier.

Topping – If you want to serve Drob sarma as an individual dish, you can make it with an egg and yoghurt topping. Although natural yoghurt is perfectly fine to use, full-fat yoghurt will make a creamier topping. Good quality free-range or organic eggs will add to the flavour. Use salt, pepper and fragrant spice, like savoury, in your topping mixture to lift the flavours and add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, to make it rise slightly.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Prepare the lamb liver

Place the liver in a pot of boiling water. Add salt and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. That way you will clean and par-cook the liver. Lamb’s liver releases a lot of scum when boiled. Collect the scum with a large spoon and dispose of it.

Let the liver cool down a bit and cut it into small cubes.

STEP 2: Prepare & Saute the vegetables

Wash all vegetables well. Clean and slice the spring onions into small rounds. Peel and cut the carrots into small cubes. Wash the mushrooms and cut them into small cubes.

Heat oil in a large saute pan and saute the sliced onions, carrots and mushrooms for a few minutes to par-cook them and let them release their flavours. Stir occasionally. Add the cubed liver with the vegetables, stir and saute it for a few minutes to absorb the vegetable flavours.

STEP 3: ADD THE RICE

Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a sieve and wash it well under your kitchen tap until the water running through comes clean. Shake the sieve with the rice to remove as much moisture as possible, and add it to the sauteed pan with the vegetables and the liver. Stir well and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the sweet paprika to the pan and stir to coat all ingredients. Saute for an extra minute.

Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and add the rest of the dry spices. Simmer until the rice is cooked, but don’t overcook it.

STEP 4: Brown the rice IN THE OVEN

Transfer the rice mixture to an oven dish. Stir milk and water together in a bowl and pour it evenly over the rice to add moisture.

Preheat a standard oven to 180C/356F or 170C/338F for a fan-assisted oven. Place the oven dish with the rice mixture in the middle of the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes.

STEP 5: Make the yoghurt topping

Whisk the eggs first, then stir them with the yoghurt into a homogenous mixture. Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, salt and a little savoury spice, if available. If not, you can use dry basil instead.

Increase the temperature in your oven to 200C/392F for a standard oven and slightly lower for a fan-assisted oven.

Pour the yoghurt mixture over the rice in the oven dish and spread it evenly with a spoon. Return it to the oven and bake for extra 10-15 minutes or until the topping has a golden colour.

🍲 SERVE DROB SARMA

You can have Drob Sarma as a side dish to a roasted lamb or as a main dish. Always serve it warm and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or lovage. This delicious rice dish is well complemented with a fresh green salad.

Here are several great recipes for roasted lamb that you can serve together with this rice dish:

My St George’s Day Lamb

Easter Lamb Kleftiko

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳