İçli köfte
İçli köfte: torpedo-shaped bulgur shells stuffed with spiced mince and walnuts, fried crisp
Making içli köfte is the test of a southeastern Turkish cook: a thin, even shell of bulgur dough is hollowed out on a finger and filled with mince fried with onion, walnuts and spices, then sealed into a pointed torpedo. Families in Mardin, Urfa and Diyarbakır make dozens before bayram, freezing them to fry for guests. Crisp outside, juicy inside, they are served hot with lemon. Common mistake: a thick shell; it cracks in the oil and tastes doughy. Chef's tip: keep a bowl of iced water by you and wet your fingers constantly; the dough becomes smooth and stretches thin without tearing.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the shell
For the filling
To fry and serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pour 1 cup hot water over 10 ½ oz fine bulgur, cover and leave for 20 minutes to soften.
20 minStep 2: Meanwhile, fry 10 ½ oz lamb or beef mince in 1 tbsp olive oil over a high heat for 5 minutes, breaking it up, until browned. Add 2 onions and cook for 8 minutes more, until soft and the meat is cooked through.
13 minStep 3: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, ½ tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli flakes), 1 tsp salt and ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley, then cool completely.
Step 4: Add 2 ⅛ oz fine semolina, 3 ½ oz lean beef mince, 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste and 1 tsp salt to the bulgur and knead for 15 minutes, dipping your hands in ¾ cup iced water, until the dough is smooth and pliable like play dough.
15 minStep 5: Roll an egg-sized piece into an oval. Push your index finger into it and turn it against your other palm to make a thin shell about 4 mm thick. Common mistake: thick walls, which crack when fried.
30 minStep 6: Fill with a spoonful of the filling, pinch the opening closed and smooth it into a pointed torpedo with wet hands. Repeat. (They can be frozen raw at this stage.)
Step 7: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil to 350°F and fry 4–5 at a time for 5–6 minutes, until deep golden and crisp. The raw mince in the shell must reach at least 160°F; check one with a thermometer.
20 minStep 8: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 2 lemons.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does i̇çli köfte take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of walnuts?
- Pecans or chocolate chips, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese