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Bulz
Bulz: Transylvanian mămăligă balls baked around sheep's cheese
Shepherds in the Apuseni mountains and the sheepfolds above Sibiu made bulz from what they had in the hut: stiff mămăligă pressed in the hand around a lump of salty sheep's cheese, then pushed into the embers until the outside crisped and the cheese melted. At home it bakes in the oven and comes out with a golden shell and a molten, tangy middle, usually with a spoon of sour cream and sometimes a fried egg on top. Telemea, brânză de burduf and caș are often made with animal rennet, so for a vegetarian bulz use a feta-style or other salty white cheese labelled vegetarian. The usual slip is cooking the mămăligă too soft, so the balls slump and leak; it should be thick enough to hold a wooden spoon upright. Chef's tip: wet your hands with cold water before shaping so the hot cornmeal does not stick.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 9 oz medium cornmeallabelled gluten free if needed
- 1 oz butterplus a little for the tray
- 9 oz salty sheep's cheese (telemea or similar)vegetarian, crumbled
- 5 ½ oz sour cream (optional)to serve
- 4 eggs (optional)fried, to serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring the 4 ¼ cups water and 1 tsp salt to the boil in a heavy pan. Rain in the 9 oz medium cornmeal, whisking constantly to stop lumps forming.
3 minStep 2: Lower the heat and cook, stirring hard with a wooden spoon, for 15–20 minutes, until very thick, pulling away from the sides and a spoon stands upright in it. Stir in the 1 oz butter.
18 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) and butter a baking tray. Let the mămăligă cool for 5 minutes until you can handle it.
5 minStep 4: With wet hands, take a fist-sized portion, flatten it in your palm, put a spoonful of the 9 oz salty sheep's cheese (telemea or similar) in the middle and close the cornmeal around it into a tight ball. Make 8 balls.
8 minStep 5: Put the balls on the tray, top each with a little of the remaining cheese and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the outside is crisp and golden and the cheese on top has melted.
18 minStep 6: Serve hot with 5 ½ oz sour cream and a fried egg from the 4 eggs on each plate if you like.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bulz take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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