← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 500 g beef or lamb mince
• 1 Onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• 15 g Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Allspice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 2 Tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 400 g Passata
• 500 ml Water
• ½ tsp Allspice
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes

Method

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients and knead for 1 minute until sticky. Roll into walnut-sized balls with wet hands.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs all over for 6–8 min. Lift them out.
3. Add the remaining oil, onion and green pepper and cook for 5 min until soft. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomatoes, tomato paste and allspice for 2 min.
4. Pour in the passata and water, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Return the meatballs and add the potatoes.
5. Cover and simmer gently for 20–25 min until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Serve with vermicelli rice and a scattering of parsley.

Tips

• For an extra-golden version, fry the potato cubes separately and add them for the last 10 min.
• Some families add a pinch of curry powder or a squeeze of lemon to the sauce.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Chef in Disguise Falasteeni Foodie