Bosnian, Herzegovinian recipe
How to make Ćevapi
ćevapi
All of the country, with famous styles from Sarajevo and Banja Luka
Small fingers of grilled minced beef, served five or ten at a time in a warm, soft flatbread called somun, with chopped raw onion and often kajmak, a rich clotted cream.
Ingredients
- 800 g minced beef, not too lean (about 20% fat)
- 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (optional, for a lighter texture)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 4 pieces of somun or other soft flatbread, or pitta bread
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Kajmak, soured cream or ajvar pepper relish, to serve
Method
- Mix the beef with the salt, pepper, bicarbonate of soda and cold water. Knead with your hands for 3 to 4 minutes until sticky, then cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- With wet hands, shape the meat into fingers about 8 cm long and as thick as a thumb.
- Heat a grill, barbecue or heavy frying pan until very hot. Cook the ćevapi for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often, until browned outside and cooked all the way through with no pink in the middle.
- Warm the bread on the grill for a few seconds on each side, and cut it open like a pocket.
- Put five to ten ćevapi in each bread with chopped onion and a spoonful of kajmak or soured cream. Serve at once.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Sarajevo ćevapi are finger-shaped and served in dry somun, while in Banja Luka four rolls are joined into a flat square and the bread is dipped in meat juices. In 2024 'Sarajevski ćevapi' received a protected geographical indication in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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