Turkish Kofte With Urfa Biber Recipe

If you’re looking to sample some of the unique tastes and aromas from Western Asia, a great place to start is with Turkish Kofte Meatballs. That’s especially the case when they’re seasoned with the gloriously piquant spice that is Urfa Biber - a dried Turkish chili pepper that gets its name from the Urfa region located in the South-Western area of the country.

It’s a spice that differs from other chili peppers you’ll find being sold across Europe, offering a distinctly smoky taste, with hints of raisin. Able to bring out the delicious flavors in the meat it's cooked with, you may have trouble waiting until it’s ready to serve before giving these meatballs a taste yourself!

Ingredients:

• 250 grams of ground, dark coloured meat - if you want the authentic Turkish experience, your kofte meatballs should be created from 100% lean lamb, however, beef alone or a mixture of the two works just as well.
• Urfa Biber spice
• 1 x Tablespoon of Salt 
• A Pinch of Cinnamon - not completely authentic to the Turkish recipe, but it does add a certain something!
• Lemon Juice & 2 x Teaspoons of Baking Soda 
• 1 x Cup of Finely-Chopped Parsley
• 1 x Cup of Breadcrumbs
• 1 x Standard Finely-Diced Onion
• 1 x Clove of Garlic
• A Pinch of Pepper
• Olive Oil

Everything Ready? Let’s Get to Creating Those Delicious Urfa Biber Meatballs!

To begin, we’ll be mixing the onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, spices, and ground meat of your choice in a large bowl. You’ll notice as you do that these meatballs are much juicier than the shop-bought variety and believe us when we say, they’re much tastier too!

After you’ve got a good, consistent mixture, put it to the side and get yourself a small bowl into which you’re going to be placing your baking soda and lemon juice. What you’re looking for is a paste-like consistency, after which, it’s placed in with all your other Urfa Biber Kofte meatball ingredients.

Mix everything together, ensuring that your lemon baking soda paste is evenly distributed before getting your hands dirty by first kneading the mixture for around 5 minutes, before hand-rolling the mixture into small meatball shapes. The size of the balls you make should fit easily into your closed, cupped hands.

Now Sit Back For 2-3 Hours...

So, it’s time to let everything sit and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours on a plate that’s lightly brushed with olive oil. The olive oil will help your carefully crafted meatballs from sticking to the plate and falling apart. Ideally speaking, it’s best to leave overnight. However, we understand how delicious-looking the blend already is, so a few hours will suffice.

Here comes the heat...

After waiting for the appropriate duration, it’s now time to cook those delectable Urfa Biber meatballs, and you’ll approach them in batches. Using a cast iron pan (A standard stainless steel one will also do) you’ll be searing each one over high heat for around 30 seconds, continually flipping them over to seal them off all the way around.

Then, it’s a small matter of leaving them in the pan on low heat for around 10-15 minutes to cook through, although this can vary based on how well done you like your meat. And with that, you’re pretty much finished. All that’s left is to decide what best to put them with!

What to Serve Your Delicious Creations With

One of the great things about Kofte meatballs is that they’re just so versatile, meaning they’re suitable as a daytime snack, as well as the basis for an evening meal. If you are aiming for an authentic Turkish experience, you could try having yours with a Coban salad - something that consists of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, long green peppers, flat-leaf parsley, and onions.

They’re also fantastically tasty when enjoyed with salad and pitta bread. However you prefer yours, we know your belly and your tastebuds will thank you for taking the time to prepare them.

A Range of Delectable Spice Available At Little Istanbul Gifts

There’s no mistaking that our Urfa Biber Kofte meatball recipe is one that you will enjoy, but it’s just one of many traditional Turkish dishes that lend much of their aromas and flavors to the high-quality spices they contain. If you’d like to see the full range of delicious culinary spices available, all you need to do is visit the Little Istanbul Gifts shop today.

We thank you for reading to the end. Check-in with us again soon to avoid missing out on our next mouthwatering trip into Turkish cuisine.