← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 50 g long-grain rice, cooked and cooled (about 150 g cooked)
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 500 g beef mince (or half lamb), divided into two-thirds and one-third
• 15 g Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Pul biber (Aleppo-style pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 egg yolk, for the mixture
• 2 eggs, beaten, for coating
• 50 g plain flour
• 150 ml sunflower oil, for shallow frying

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 3 min, add two-thirds of the mince and fry for 8–10 min until browned and the juices have evaporated. Spread on a plate to cool.
2. Tip the cooked mince into a bowl with the raw mince, cooked rice, parsley, cumin, pul biber, salt, pepper and egg yolk. Knead for 2–3 min until it holds together.
3. With wet hands, shape the mixture into 12 flattened ovals about 2 cm thick.
4. Heat the sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Dust each köfte in flour, then dip it in beaten egg.
5. Fry in batches for 3–4 min per side until deep golden and cooked through to 71°C (160°F). Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Serve hot with mashed potatoes or rice, a shepherd’s salad and a dollop of yogurt.

Tips

• Leftover rice is perfect here; it should be cold and fairly dry.
• Keep the oil at a steady medium heat so the egg coating sets golden before the inside overcooks.

Sources

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

Turkey’s For Life Ozlem's Turkish Table