Name: Kapama (Bulgarian Slow-Cooked Pork and Sauerkraut Pot)
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 500g pork belly slices, cut into large pieces; 500g pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm chunks; 1 smoked ham hock, about 600 g; 800g sauerkraut, drained, rinsed once; 100g long grain rice; 2 onions, sliced; 2 tbsp sunflower oil; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 6 black peppercorns; 3 bay leaves; 600ml water; 1 tsp black pepper

Kapama (Bulgarian Slow-Cooked Pork and Sauerkraut Pot)

Layers of pork, smoked ham hock, sauerkraut and rice slowly baked together until everything is soft and savoury.

Time3 hr

LevelMedium

Costabout £2.08 a head

Oven160°C (140°C fan)

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

Estimated nutrition per serving

837kcal
24.8gcarbs
6.1gof which sugars
67gfat
24.1gsaturates
32.7gprotein
4.9gfibre
3.0gsalt

A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.

6 servings

Method

1
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the pork belly and shoulder in batches for 5 minutes each, then lift out.
10 min
2
Cook the onions in the same pot for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the paprika and cook for 30 seconds, then spoon the onions out and set aside.
5 min
3
Spread half the sauerkraut in the pot. Layer over the pork, ham hock, onions and rice, then scatter on the peppercorns, bay leaves and black pepper.
4
Top with the rest of the sauerkraut and pour in the water. It should just come up to the top layer.
5
Cover with a tight lid and bake for 2 hours 30 minutes, until the pork is meltingly tender and the rice is soft. Check halfway and add a splash of water if it looks dry.
150 min
6
Rest for 10 minutes, remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls with extra black pepper. No extra salt is usually needed.