Stuffed Bulgur Balls (Icli Köfte or Kibbeh)
This is my grandmother’s (my father’s mother) classic recipe. She is from the Malatya region of Turkey, that’s why she makes this dish very well.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (i.e. rapeseed)
- 2 cups fine-grain bulgur (to make balls)
Prepare the dough as explained here.
The only thing that will be added additionally here in this dough is the 1 tbsp tomato paste. That is for extra taste and the slightly orange color. Don’t shape or cook, leave the dough in a pile.
Finely chop the onions and fry them in vegetable oil in a pan for 10 minutes. If you are using canned lentils, add them and without adding water, fry them for another 5 minutes. Add the finely chopped parsley, add 2 tbsp of water, let simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. If you are using dried lentils, either cook them beforehand and do the procedure described above, or add the lentils on the onions, then add 2 cups of water, let simmer for 10 minutes, then add the parsley, let simmer for another 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
The shaping is the most complicated part in this recipe. There is no way to learn it by reading, perhaps this video of a traditional lady making these balls can help (please mute the video while watching, for everyone’s sake).
Somehow shape the balls, fill the insides, and once you are done, cook them in boiled water for 10 minutes. My grandmother has an interesting way of understanding whether the balls are cooked, she takes one out with a spoon and listens to it carefully. Apparently, once the balls are cooked, they make small popping sounds inside. It requires expertise.
In another pan, melt 3 tbsp butter (or margarine) and 2 tbsp vegetable oil until it slightly burns, and pour the oil on the cooked and drained balls. Serve while hot.
