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Romanian

Mici

Non-vegetarian

Small, juicy skinless sausages of garlicky minced beef and pork, made springy with bicarbonate of soda and grilled over charcoal. Eaten with mustard, bread and a cold beer.

Mici is a Romanian grilled dish, ready in about 32 minutes and made with ground beef, garlic and baking soda. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Rows of mici skinless grilled sausages on a charcoal barbecue
Photo: Stoschmidt / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
12 min
Total
32 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
395

Plus overnight resting of the mixture in the fridge.

Ingredients

6 servings (about 24 mici)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the beef and pork with the garlic (opens in a new tab), salt, pepper (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab) and coriander.

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Stir the bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) into the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) (it will fizz) and add to the meat. Gradually knead in the cold stock until the mixture is very soft, sticky and smooth — a food processor (opens in a new tab) helps.

  3. Step 3

    Cover and refrigerate overnight so the flavours develop and the texture becomes springy.

    • 1 min

  4. Step 4

    With wet hands roll into sausages about 10 cm long and 2.5 cm thick.

    • 10 min

  5. Step 5

    Grill over hot charcoal or a hot grill pan, turning, until browned and cooked through. Serve with mustard, bread and pickles.

    Food safety: Minced meat must be cooked to 71 °C in the centre.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Romania · Well documentedAlso popular in MoldovaMore food from Romania
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Grills & kebabs · Street food · Main courses
Cooking method
Grilled, Barbecued
Taste
garlicky, savoury, smoky, peppery
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Ground beef · Garlic · Baking soda · Ground pork · Beef stock · Lemon juice
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Dhungar (charcoal smoking) · Kneading · Pickling

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

395 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 202 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 32%
  • Carbohydrate 2%
  • Fat 66%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy395 kcal195 kcal
Protein31 g15.3 g
Carbohydrate2.4 g1.2 g
Net carbohydrate2 g1 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.4 g0.2 g
Fat28.2 g14 g
Saturated fat10.6 g5.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol115 mg57 mg
Sodium1146 mg568 mg
Salt equivalent2.9 g1.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
568 mg
Calcium
40 mg
Iron
3.3 mg
Magnesium
35 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
15 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
2.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
11 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: ground coriander, prepared mustard.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The bicarbonate of soda is what gives mici their unique bouncy, juicy texture — don't leave it out.

Common mistakes

  • Using lean mince gives dry mici.

Serve with

  • Mustard, fresh bread or fries, and pickled vegetables (murături).

Storage

  • Uncooked mixture keeps 2 days chilled; freeze shaped mici raw.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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