Sogan-dolma

Sogan-dolma, which means stuffed onions, is a traditional Bosnian dish. Ingredients include onions, minced beef, rice, oil, paprika, vinegar or sour cream, dense natural yogurt (Sour Milk), black pepper, salt and spices.

The skin being removed, the larger, external, layers of onion bulbs are used as containers, so called "shirts" for a special kind of Ottoman robe for the meat stuffing. The remaining part of onion is also used, mixed with the meat and fried on oil for a couple of minutes, to obtain the base of the stuffing. To extract the separate "shirts", the entire bulbs are cut on the top and then boiled until soft enough to be pried off, layer by layer.

In order to prevent a further softening and crumbling, the bulbs should be blanched. The "shirts" are removed from the bulbs by slow and gentle finger pressure. Filled "shirts" are boiled slowly at a low heat in broth. The level of liquid should be sufficient to cover the dolmas entirely. Sogan-dolma are usually served with dense natural yogurt.