Kebapi

Combine the ground beef and lamb in a large bowl. Add the finely grated onion, minced garlic, baking soda, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly with your hands for five minutes, kneading until the mixture becomes very smooth, sticky, and cohesive.

Cover the mixture tightly and refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight. This extended rest allows the baking soda to tenderize the meat and the flavours to develop, resulting in a juicier, more flavourful kebapi with a better texture.

Remove the chilled mixture from the refrigerator. With wet hands, take portions of meat about the size of a large walnut and roll them into small cylinders about eight centimetres long and two centimetres thick. Shape fifteen to twenty kebapi, keeping them uniform.

Preheat a charcoal grill or grill pan to high heat. Brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking. Grill the kebapi for two to three minutes per side, turning to cook all four sides evenly, until deeply charred on the outside with grill marks visible.

While the kebapi grill, warm the flatbread on the grill for thirty seconds per side. Dice fresh onion and prepare the ajvar roasted pepper spread. The traditional accompaniments are simple but essential to the complete kebapi experience.

Serve five to six hot kebapi in a warm flatbread with a generous pile of diced raw onion and a spoonful of ajvar on the side. The combination of smoky grilled meat, sharp raw onion, and sweet roasted pepper spread is the quintessential Balkan street food meal.