Stuffed Bulgur Köfte

Ingredients

• 2 cup Fine bulgur for köfte (For the dough)
• 1 cup Semolina (For the dough)
• 0.5 cup Flour (For the dough)
• 1 Egg (For the dough)
• 1 tsp Red pepper paste (A heaping teaspoon; for the dough)
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper (For the dough)
• 1.5 tsp Salt (For the dough)
• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes (For the dough)
• 2.25 cup Warm water (The source gives 2–2.5 cups; the total amount is added gradually to bring the dough together, while hot water is also initially used to cover the bulgur and semolina.)
• 350 g Ground meat (For the filling)
• 1 Yellow onion (Large, finely diced)
• 100 g Butter (For the filling; half is used first, and the remainder is used with the onion)
• 1 tsp Red pepper paste (For the filling)
• 0.5 cup Walnuts (For the filling)
• 1 Parsley (A handful, finely chopped; for the filling. Parsley is also specified for serving, but no quantity is given.)
• 0.5 tsp Ground cumin (For the filling)
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper (For the filling)
• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes (For the filling)
• 1.5 tsp Salt (For the filling)
• Vegetable oil (For frying; quantity not specified)
• Parsley (For serving; quantity not specified)
• Lemon (For serving; quantity not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   To prepare the filling, melt half of the butter in a skillet.

2. 2

   Add the ground meat and sauté for approximately 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the remaining butter and the diced onion. Cook until the onion is completely softened.

4. 4

   Add the red pepper paste, the salt specified for the filling, cumin, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for another 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Add the finely chopped parsley and walnuts and stir. Turn off the heat and leave the filling to cool.

6. 6

   Place the bulgur and semolina in a mixing bowl. Pour hot water over them, cover the bowl, and let stand for approximately 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Once the bulgur and semolina have swollen, uncover the bowl and stir with a spoon.

8. 8

   Add the flour, the red pepper paste specified for the dough, egg, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and begin kneading.

9. 9

   Gradually add the warm water, a little at a time, kneading thoroughly until the dough comes together completely. The source gives a total water quantity of 2–2.5 cups.

10. 10

    For shaping, place a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface. Pinch off a piece of dough and place it on the paper; cover it with a second sheet of parchment paper.

11. 11

    Roll out the dough between the two sheets of parchment paper with a rolling pin.

12. 12

    Cut circles from the rolled-out dough using a cutter or a suitable utensil.

13. 13

    Place some of the cooled filling in the center of each circle. Close the dough around the filling in your hand, shape it into a stuffed köfte, and carefully smooth the seams. To make shaping easier, you can occasionally moisten your fingers with warm water. These quantities yield approximately 25 stuffed köfte.

14. 14

    Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pot. Fry the köfte carefully in the hot oil until browned on all sides.

15. 15

    Serve the stuffed köfte with parsley and lemon.

Notes

The source does not specify the amount of oil for frying or the quantities of parsley and lemon for serving. No measurements are given for the thickness of the dough circles or the exact shape of the köfte; the recipe calls for rolling out the dough between sheets of parchment paper and cutting out circles.

Nutrition per serving

• Turkish cuisine
• main course
• fried
• meat-based
• walnut
• Ramadan
• iftar