Kebapche

Ingredients

Meat

• 600 gminced pork, about 30% fat
• 400 gminced beef
• 2 tspsalt
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• 150 mlsparkling mineral water

Optional

• 1 tspdried savoury
• 1 tsppaprika

To serve

• lyutenitsa
• sirene cheese, grated
• chips
• shopska salad

Directions

1. Use a mix of pork and beef with real fat in it, around 30 per cent overall.
2. Lean mince gives a dry, crumbly kebapche. The fat is what keeps them juicy over a hot grill and it renders out as they cook.
3. Mix the meats with the salt, cumin, pepper and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Cumin is the Bulgarian signature and it goes in generously. Without it these are just grilled mince.
5. Now knead the mixture hard, for a full 10 minutes, until it turns sticky, smooth and noticeably paler.
6. Knead it far longer than feels reasonable. This develops the protein into a sticky paste that holds together on the grill without any egg or breadcrumb.
7. Work the sparkling water in a splash at a time as you knead.
8. The bubbles and the bicarbonate together give the light, slightly springy texture, and it is the standard Balkan trick.
9. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
10. The overnight rest is not optional. It lets the salt and cumin work through and firms the paste so it holds its shape.
11. Shape into cylinders about 10 cm long and 3 cm thick, with wet hands, keeping them even.
12. Grill over hot charcoal for 4 to 5 minutes a side, turning once only.
13. Turn them once and leave them alone otherwise. Rolled and fussed with, they break apart and stick to the bars.
14. They are done when browned and firm but still juicy at the centre.
15. Serve straight off the grill with lyutenitsa, grated sirene, chips and a shopska salad.
16. Kebapche is the cylinder and kyufte the flat patty, and Bulgarians order them by name without confusing the two.

Technique

• The grill must be genuinely hot and the meat genuinely cold when it goes on.
• They are sold from grills at every Bulgarian roadside and mehana.
• The bicarbonate is what makes them puff slightly, and leaving it out gives a denser result.

Substitutions

• All pork, which is common and cheaper.
• A ridged griddle pan if you have no charcoal.

Variations

• Kyufte, the flat round patty with onion in the mix.
• With grated sirene melted over the top.
• Ćevapi, the closely related Bosnian and Serbian version, served in somun bread.

History

Grilled minced-meat roll seasoned with cumin, ordered alongside kyufte and chips in Bulgarian taverns.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kebapche?

Kebapche is a main from Bulgaria: grilled minced pork-beef rolls seasoned with cumin. Grilled minced-meat roll seasoned with cumin, ordered alongside kyufte and chips in Bulgarian taverns.

How long does Kebapche take to make?

Kebapche takes 20 min plus overnight resting of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 12. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kebapche?

Yes, within limits. All pork, which is common and cheaper. A ridged griddle pan if you have no charcoal.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kebapche?

The overnight rest is not optional. It lets the salt and cumin work through and firms the paste so it holds its shape.