Season the meat Put the minced beef and minced lamb in a large bowl and add the salt, black pepper, baking soda and grated garlic.
02
Knead with water Pour in the cold mineral water a little at a time and knead the meat firmly with your hand for about five minutes, until it turns sticky and holds together like a paste.
03
Rest the mixture Cover the bowl and refrigerate the meat for at least two hours so the flavours settle and the texture firms up.
04
Light the charcoal Light the charcoal grill and let it burn for about thirty minutes, until the coals are covered in grey ash and glowing hot underneath.
05
Chop the onion While the coals heat, finely chop the onions and set them aside in a small bowl.
06
Shape the cevapi Wet your hands with cold water and roll the meat into small fingers about seven centimetres long and two centimetres thick, making about forty pieces.
07
Grill the cevapi Lightly oil the grill grate, lay the cevapi on it and grill for about nine minutes, turning them every couple of minutes until browned all over and just cooked through.
08
Warm the somun Cut a pocket into each somun, press the cut sides into the meat juices on the grill and warm the bread for about one minute on each side.
09
Fill and serve Tuck about ten cevapi into each warm somun, add a generous spoonful of chopped onion and a spoonful of kajmak, and serve straight away.
Small finger-shaped sausages of minced beef and lamb, grilled over charcoal and served tucked into warm somun flatbread with raw chopped onion and kajmak, a soft clotted dairy cream. Ćevapi are the signature street food of Sarajevo and are eaten across Bosnia at any time of day, from late breakfast to after-midnight snack.
Servings4 servings0123456789 SERVINGS
Units
Swaps
No swaps
Ingredients
SCALED FOR 4
0 of 11 gathered
Tap an ingredient to convert, swap or check your pantry.
Method
1
Season the meat
Put the minced beef and minced lamb in a large bowl and add the salt, black pepper, baking soda and grated garlic.
2
Knead with water
Pour in the cold mineral water a little at a time and knead the meat firmly with your hand for about five minutes, until it turns sticky and holds together like a paste.
Keep kneading until the mixture clings to your fingers; if it stays loose and crumbly the cevapi will fall apart on the grill.
Knead with water · 5 min
3
Rest the mixture
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the meat for at least two hours so the flavours settle and the texture firms up.
Resting overnight gives the springiest, juiciest cevapi, which is how most Sarajevo grill houses do it.
Rest the mixture · 120 min
4
Light the charcoal
Light the charcoal grill and let it burn for about thirty minutes, until the coals are covered in grey ash and glowing hot underneath.
Without a charcoal grill, use a very hot cast iron griddle pan; you lose the smoke but the texture stays right.
Light the charcoal · 30 min
5
Chop the onion
While the coals heat, finely chop the onions and set them aside in a small bowl.
6
Shape the cevapi
Wet your hands with cold water and roll the meat into small fingers about seven centimetres long and two centimetres thick, making about forty pieces.
Wet hands stop the meat sticking and give a smooth surface; keep all the pieces the same size so they cook evenly.
7
Grill the cevapi
Lightly oil the grill grate, lay the cevapi on it and grill for about nine minutes, turning them every couple of minutes until browned all over and just cooked through.
Don't move them for the first two minutes; once a crust forms they release from the grate cleanly.
Grill the cevapi · 9 min
8
Warm the somun
Cut a pocket into each somun, press the cut sides into the meat juices on the grill and warm the bread for about one minute on each side.
If you can't find somun, use thick, soft Balkan lepinja or a fluffy pocket pita.
Warm the somun · 2 min
9
Fill and serve
Tuck about ten cevapi into each warm somun, add a generous spoonful of chopped onion and a spoonful of kajmak, and serve straight away.
If kajmak is unavailable, beat together equal parts full fat cream cheese and thick sour cream with a pinch of salt.