1
StepCrush the garlic to a paste with a little of the salt. Combine both minces, the garlic, the remaining salt, the baking soda and the pepper in a bowl.
Street Food
Ćevapi with Ajvar and Onions
Small skinless sausages of beef and lamb mince, worked until they are sticky, then rested overnight so the baking soda can do its work on the texture. Grilled hard over high heat they come out springy inside with charred edges. Served packed into warm lepinja with ajvar and a pile of raw onion.
37 min
Prep: 25 / Cook: 12
20
servings
Medium
Difficulty
4.6
5 Ratings
l
lukas_bakes
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Terms ↗February 9, 2026
Ingredients
For the cevapi
- 500 g beef mince
- 300 g lamb mince
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 12 g salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 100 ml sparkling water
To serve
- 4 pieces lepinja
- 200 g ajvar
- 2 pieces onion
- 150 g kajmak
Preparation
8 Steps
2
StepKnead the mixture by hand for 4 to 5 minutes, adding the sparkling water in splashes, until it turns smooth, pale and tacky and a handful clings to your upturned palm without falling.
3
StepPress the mixture flat in the bowl, cover it directly with cling film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 24. The baking soda needs this time to loosen the proteins.
4
StepDivide the mixture into 20 pieces of about 40 g and roll each into a finger 8 cm long and 2 cm thick with wet hands. Keep them cold until the grill is ready.
5
StepGet a charcoal grill or heavy grill pan properly hot, so a drop of water vanishes on contact. Brush the bars lightly with oil.
6
StepGrill the ćevapi for 10 to 12 minutes in total, turning every 3 minutes, until they are charred on all sides, firm and springy to the touch and just cooked through with no pink at the centre.
7
StepWarm the lepinja on the cooler side of the grill and split them open, letting the inside soak up a little of the fat and smoke.
8
StepPack 5 ćevapi into each lepinja with a spoonful of ajvar, plenty of finely chopped raw onion and a smear of kajmak. Serve immediately, while the bread is still hot.
Chef's Tip
The overnight rest is not optional: baking soda plus time is what makes ćevapi springy instead of crumbly like meatballs. Work the mince with a little sparkling water until it is genuinely tacky and clings to your hand, that is the sign the proteins have bound.
Comments (3)
grilled them over charcoal, the sparkling water trick keeps them juicy
no lepinja anywhere here so i warmed thick pita in the pan, close enough
the overnight rest does real work, the texture came out springy and not crumbly
that is the baking soda plus time. skip either one and you have made small meatballs instead.