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Sogan dolma
Sogan dolma: Bosnian onions stuffed with beef mince and rice, baked in sour cream
Sarajevo's grandmothers make sogan dolma in summer, when the onions are sweet and juicy: whole onions are blanched, their layers peeled apart, and each shell is filled with spiced beef mince and rice, then baked until soft and caramel-edged and finished with a tangy sour cream sauce. In Bosnia and Herzegovina they are a dish for Ramadan iftar tables and family Sundays, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Where most people go wrong is not blanching the onions long enough; the layers tear instead of slipping apart. Chef's tip: chop the small inner hearts you cannot stuff and fry them into the filling, so nothing is wasted.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the onions
- 6 large onionspeeled
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb beef mince
- 2 ⅞ oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ oz fresh parsleychopped
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 ¼ cups hot water
- 7 oz sour cream
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Cut a slit from top to root on one side of each of the 6 large onions, just to the centre. Boil them for 10–12 minutes, until the outer layers turn translucent and soft.
12 minStep 2: Drain and cool, then peel off the layers one by one; you want about 24 shells. Finely chop the small inner hearts.
10 minStep 3: Heat the 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the chopped onion hearts for 5 minutes until golden. Cool slightly.
5 minStep 4: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb beef mince, 2 ⅞ oz short-grain rice, fried onion, 1 tsp sweet paprika, ¾ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt and ½ oz fresh parsley.
5 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Put a spoonful of filling in each onion shell and roll it up, packing them seam side down in a baking dish.
15 minStep 6: Stir the 1 tbsp tomato paste into the hot 1 ¼ cups hot water and pour it around the onions. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes, until the rice is tender and a thermometer in the centre of a dolma reads 160°F.
50 minStep 7: Spoon the 7 oz sour cream over the top, return to the oven uncovered for 20 minutes, until it bubbles and browns at the edges.
20 minStep 8: Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sogan dolma take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 80 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 gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of large onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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