History

Klepe come from the Ottoman manti tradition (which itself traces to Turkic Central Asian peasant cooking) and entered Bosnian kitchens with the Ottoman administration after 1463. Dveri on Prote Bakovica and Nanina Kuhinja on Kundurdziluk both work the canonical Sarajevo recipe with extra walnut, the dumpling kept smaller than Turkish manti to fit the garlic-yogurt-walnut finish that defines the Bosnian version.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 1 hrTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 100ml water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 300g minced beef
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 500ml plain yogurt
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 50g walnuts, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Method

  1. Make a dough with flour, egg, water and salt; knead 8 minutes and rest 30 minutes.
  2. Mix the filling: beef, onion, salt, pepper.
  3. Roll the dough thin; cut 4 cm squares.
  4. Place a teaspoon of filling on each square and pinch closed at the top to make a small parcel.
  5. Boil in salted water 8 to 10 minutes until the filling is cooked.
  6. Mix yogurt with crushed garlic and a pinch of salt.
  7. Drain klepe; arrange on a warm plate, spoon over the garlic-yogurt sauce.
  8. Top with crushed walnuts and a drizzle of melted butter.

Tip from the editors. The dough must rest a full 30 minutes; rolling thin is the key to a delicate klepe.

Where to eat klepe

Klepe in Sarajevo

Dveri ★ 4.2

Traditional BosnianChef the owners$$$$40-65 KM per headbascarsijaMon-Sun 08:00-23:00Book 3 days ahead

Dveri off Saraci in Bascarsija is the Sarajevo Bosnian institution behind a wood-shuttered facade, with a flowered courtyard and hearty lonac at every table.

Tip: Reservations are essential; Dveri is cash only and the rear courtyard tables are the ones to ask for in summer.

Prote Bakovica 12, 71000 Sarajevo

Nanina Kuhinja ★ 4.4

Street food$bascarsijaMon-Sun 08:00-23:00

Nanina Kuhinja's Kundurdziluk counter in Sarajevo serves Bosnian comfort plates the way a nana would, with sarma, klepe and lonac sold by the portion.

Try: Sarma, klepe and bosanski lonac counter

Tip: The counter at lunch is the easiest sit; ask for klepe with extra walnut and kajmak.

Kundurdziluk 35, 71000 Sarajevo

More cities are in research. Want klepe covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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