Kofte (Turkish Meatballs)
Spicy and juicy Turkish meatballs from scratch.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 50 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 pounds ground beef (80% lean)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 medium onions (pureed)
- 4 cloves garlic (mashed (optional))
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely diced onion and mashed garlic.
- 2
Add in the spices.
- 3
In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice. Pour this into the ground beef mixture. Mix well with your hand. Knead it for about a minute so that everything is combined well.
- 4
Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours.
- 5
Roll them into meatballs.
- 6
Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan or any non-stick pan. Cook the meatballs over high heat, flipping them over or shaking the pan occasionally so that all sides are cooked for about 3 minutes. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook the meatballs in batches until they finish or save some to freeze.