Dobo (Armenian meatloaf)

Before fleeing Syria and landing in Brisbane, Tania was a registered nurse, for 19 years played basketball in a national league, and even started her own small painting business.

Credit: Tammi Kwok

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef mince
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp Baharat 7 spice
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 300 g feta or white cheese
• 200 g mozzarella or tasty cheese
• 6 mortadella slices
• Seasonal vegetables and steamed rice, to serve

Sauce

• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder
• 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper

Instructions

1. Mix beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, paprika, Baharat, salt and pepper together in a bowl.

2. Roll out beef mixture into a large rectangle then place cheese and mortadella in centre of meat. Roll up lengthways and enclose, using water to seal.

3. Place baking paper and a little oil on an oven tray, add meat. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a medium pot over medium heat melt butter. Add flour and stir until the mixture is pale and thick.

5. Gradually add water and milk, continually stirring. Add salt, stock powder, sweet soy sauce, tomato sauce and white pepper. Continue stirring until thickened.

6. Remove meatloaf from the oven, add vegetables then cover everything in sauce and top everything with cheese Return to the oven for 5 minutes to heat the vegetables and melt the cheese.

Serve the dobo and vegetables with rice.

Note

• Tania says you can serve the dish with a plain white sauce if desired and you can substitute meat and cheeses as you like.

This recipe is part of a video series called Culture in the Kitchen, by Multicultural Australia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.