Ingredients
Meat
- 700 gbeef chuck, minced twice
- 300 glamb shoulder, minced twice
- 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
- 12 gfine salt
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 3garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
- 120 mlsparkling mineral water, ice cold
Somun
- 500 gstrong white flour
- 320 mlwarm water
- 7 gdried yeast
- 10 gsalt
- 1 tspsugar
To serve
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 200 gkajmak or thick clotted cream
- Ajvar, to taste
Directions
- Mix both minced meats with the bicarbonate of soda, salt, pepper and garlic. Work in the ice-cold sparkling water a splash at a time until the mass is smooth, tacky and holds a fingerprint.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. The soda and the rest are what give ćevapi their springy, sausage-like bite without any breadcrumb or egg.
- For the somun, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and water into a soft dough, knead 8 minutes, and prove 1 hour until doubled. Divide into 4, flatten to 1 cm rounds, dimple the tops and prove 20 minutes.
- Bake the somun at 250°C (475°F) on a hot stone for 6 to 8 minutes until pale gold and puffed. Wrap in a cloth so they stay soft and pliable.
- Bring the meat back to room temperature, then roll into fingers about 7 cm long and 2 cm thick, pressing sets of five lightly together at the sides.
- Grill over hot charcoal, close to the coals, turning every 90 seconds. They take 7 to 9 minutes; the outside should be crusted and mahogany while the inside stays juicy and springy.
- Split a somun like a pocket, wipe the cut face through the grill juices, and pack in 5 or 10 ćevapi so the bread steams and swells around them.
- Serve immediately with a mound of raw chopped onion, kajmak melting on top, and ajvar on the side.
Technique
- The double mince and the overnight rest are non-negotiable — salt and soda dissolve the muscle protein so the meat binds to itself. Skip that and you have small kebabs, not ćevapi.
- Sarajevo ćevapi are short and slender and served pressed into a puffy somun; Banja Luka forms them in joined slabs of four and grills them fatter.
- Charcoal matters. Gas gives no crust and no smoke; if you must use gas, get a cast-iron grate ripping hot first.
Substitutions
- No lamb: use all beef with 20 percent added fat, which is how many Sarajevo grills work anyway.
- Kajmak is hard to source — mascarpone loosened with a little soured cream and salt is the nearest supermarket stand-in.
Variations
- Novi Pazar ćevapi are thicker and often served with a fried egg on top.
- In some houses the meat is left plain and the garlic goes into the kajmak instead.
History
Grilled minced-meat fingers of Ottoman origin; the Sarajevo version is served in tens inside a somun with chopped onion and kajmak.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ćevapi?
Ćevapi is a main from Bosnia and Herzegovina: grilled minced-meat rolls in somun flatbread with raw onion. Grilled minced-meat fingers of Ottoman origin; the Sarajevo version is served in tens inside a somun with chopped onion and kajmak.
How long does Ćevapi take to make?
Ćevapi takes 30 min of preparation and 12 hr resting plus 10 min grilling of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Ćevapi?
Yes, within limits. No lamb: use all beef with 20 percent added fat, which is how many Sarajevo grills work anyway. Kajmak is hard to source — mascarpone loosened with a little soured cream and salt is the nearest supermarket stand-in.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ćevapi?
Charcoal matters. Gas gives no crust and no smoke; if you must use gas, get a cast-iron grate ripping hot first.
