Balkan Recipes: How To Make Klepe From Bosnia-Herzegovina (2024)

Klepe, small dough rolls filled with meat and served with generous amounts of spiced sour cream, are to die for. Once you start eating these, you won’t be able to stop. You’ll keep taking one after the other, and when you start thinking that you’re done – you won’t be able to help yourself – you’ll take another.

They are just that good!

Klepe are made of soft dough filled with spiced minced beef with lots of garlic and onions. These bite-sized delights are initially from Bosnia and are commonly known as “Bosnian ravioli.

You may also know this dish as “kulaci” – these are the same.

Klepe are high in calories, but from time to time, we all deserve to treat ourselves with some comfort food like this, and I, right?! So, let’s get stuck into the recipe so you can start planning your next comfort meal.

Klepe Ingredients

Dough

• 1 kg flour
• 400 mls lukewarm water
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• oil

Stuffing

• 300 g of beef minced meat
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• salt and pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

Dressing

• 500 ml of sour cream
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

Extra

• 100 g butter
• 1/2 tsp red paprika powder
• 1 pinch dried wild garlic (optional)

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How To Make Klepe

• Mix one kilogram of flour with lukewarm water, then add salt, one egg, and one tablespoon of oil. Mix to make a smooth dough (it should not stick to your hands like glue)
• Separate the dough into two evenly sized balls, place them into a bowl, coat with a bit of oil, cover them with cling film and let them stand for about thirty minutes
• Mix the minced meat, finely diced onion, garlic (optional), salt, and pepper to taste in a separate bowl. Set aside, as you will use this mixture as a stuffing for the klepe
• Roll the dough to around 5 mm thick, then cut into squares. 5x5cm or smaller is best, as klepe are more delightful to eat when they are small
• Using your fingers, add a small amount of the meat mixture to the middle of every square
• Then, fold the dough diagonally and close the triangles by pinching the dough with your fingers
• In a large pot, bring some salted water to the boil, add a few drops of oil, and then very gently transfer the klepe into the water to cook. Cook them in several batches, not all at once, so they do not stick together. When they float to the surface, it is a sign that they are cooked through
• Once cooked, remove them from the water using a slotted spoon, and place the klepe onto a baking tray
• Once they are all cooked, transfer a little of the boiled water into the baking tray and stir – this will prevent them from sticking to each other, as the water is a little greasy
• Melt 100 grams of butter and pour it over the klepe
• Sprinkle the buttered klepe with red paprika powder and mix them well
• Put the baking tray into a preheated oven (180 degrees Celcius) for 5-10 minutes
• While they are baking, combine the sour cream and minced garlic in a bowl
• Once cooked, pour over the sour cream and garlic mixture.
• If you like an extra garlicky flavor, sprinkle dried wild garlic leaves on the top
• Enjoy!