Turkish lamb meatballs, also known as köfte, are a delightful and flavorful dish that has been a staple in Turkish cuisine for centuries. Typically made with ground lamb, aromatic herbs and spices, and various vegetables, these succulent meatballs can be grilled, pan-fried, or baked, making them a versatile addition to any meal. Whether you prefer the traditional version or enjoy experimenting with different ingredients, there are countless recipes to choose from, each promising a unique and satisfying culinary experience. From the smoky grilled meatballs served as street food to elegantly presented platters of köfte gracing dinner tables, this article will guide you through the diverse world of Turkish lamb meatball recipes, helping you find the perfect one to tantalize your taste buds.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
TURKISH MEATBALLS (KOFTA)
These are the well-known Turkish Kofta, delicious little meat balls or patties. You can make them with beef, but lamb is traditional and makes them very special.
Provided by Jenny Sanders
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 35m
Yield 36 meatballs, 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Make the bread crumbs by breaking up 2 slices of stale but not dried out whole wheat bread into the bowl of a food processor.
- Whizz until finely crumbed.
- Add the ground lamb and the egg, and process until blended.
- Add the spices, garlic and parsley.
- Process the meat well to achieve a fine texture.
- Roll the mixture into small meatballs (I use a melonballer) or finger shaped patties using dampened hands.
- You may cook them at once, or refrigerate the mixture for several hours.
- (If your meat is very fresh, you can divide it in half and wrap part well in plastic for the next day's meal.) Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, and fry the balls or patties until cooked through and evenly browned.
- The meatballs should be stirred several times, the patties turned once.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon to drain.
- Serve the meatballs hot or at room temperature as an appetizer.
- Lovely with a yogurt or tahini sauce, on a bed of rice or in a pita.
TURKISH MEATBALLS (KOFTA)
If you are looking for a tasty main dish meal, try my new Turkish meatballs.
Provided by Will
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Lamb Ground
Time 24m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Tear up bread slices into the bowl of a food processor; process into fine crumbs. Add ground lamb and egg; process until blended. Add parsley, garlic, cumin, mint, allspice, salt, and pepper; process until evenly combined.
- Roll lamb mixture into small meatballs.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs in batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 180.6 calories, Carbohydrate 4.8 g, Cholesterol 73.9 mg, Fat 11.6 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 13.9 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, Sodium 284.3 mg, Sugar 0.6 g
TURKISH MEATBALLS
I learned to make this at a Turkish cooking class. Serve it with a variety of Middle Eastern dishes and feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste. What I've given is an absolute minimum, but when I make the meatballs I normally throw in extra cumin and sometimes chilli flakes. You can also make this with minced beef.
Provided by Sackville
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 25m
Yield 18-24 meatballs
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Cook the bulgur by covering it with a cup of boiling water and letting it soak in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes.
- Uncover and let cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients except the parsley in a mixing bowl.
- Add in the cooled bulgur and use your hands to thoroughly mix everything together.
- Roll them with your hands into balls around the same size as a golf ball and flatten them a little.
- Now you can either bake them in a hot oven for around 10 minutes or fry them in hot oil until they are browned all over.
- Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 94.4, Fat 6.3, SaturatedFat 2.7, Cholesterol 30.1, Sodium 20.3, Carbohydrate 4.6, Fiber 0.7, Sugar 1.5, Protein 5
SPICED LAMB MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT AND HERBS
These spice-loaded meatballs have a Turkish inflection. The warm yogurt sauce adds tang and richness, along with a sprinkling of tart sumac powder and chopped mint. American "Greek-style" yogurt is not always tart enough, but it can be thinned with a bit of buttermilk or even lemon juice. Whisking it with cornstarch and egg produces a silky sauce. Though the ingredient list looks long, this is a simple and impressive dish to make.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories dinner, easy, meatballs, main course
Time 1h
Yield 5 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Beat 2 of the eggs and add to meat, mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
- Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces of lamb mixture, roll into spheres and set aside on a baking sheet. You should have about 30 1-ounce meatballs.
- Heat oven to 225 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add meatballs in one layer and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot any extra oil, then pile meatballs on a heatproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven.
- Pour off any excess oil from skillet and turn heat to high. Add broth and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon salt; remaining egg, beaten; and cornstarch. Pour yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly. Turn heat down slightly and continue whisking until yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let mixture boil.
- Pour hot yogurt sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top. Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with mint, dill and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 481, UnsaturatedFat 18 grams, Carbohydrate 15 grams, Fat 35 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 14 grams, Sodium 599 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
TURKISH MEATBALLS
Make your meatballs more than marvelous with this Turkish Meatballs recipe. These Turkish Meatballs are topped with a tasty yogurt, Feta and fresh herb mixture for an interesting entrée that's packed with flavor.
Provided by My Food and Family
Categories Lamb
Time 35m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Mix meat, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, dry seasonings and half the chopped fresh herbs just until blended.
- Shape into 48 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter.
- Place on foil-covered rimmed baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake 13 to 15 min. or until done (160ºF). Meanwhile, mix yogurt, feta cheese and remaining fresh herbs until blended.
- Serve meatballs with the yogurt mixture.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 340, Fat 20 g, SaturatedFat 9 g, TransFat 1 g, Cholesterol 130 mg, Sodium 390 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 2 g, Protein 28 g
TURKISH SPICED MEATBALLS WITH POMEGRANATE YOGURT SAUCE
Italian and Swedish meatballs, step aside. These Turkish meatballs are so juicy, light, and flavorful-not to mention easy-they'll be rocking your party world this holiday season.
Provided by Melissa Roberts
Categories Lamb Appetizer Bake Cocktail Party Yogurt Oscars New Year's Eve Ground Lamb Spice Family Reunion Poker/Game Night Shower Pomegranate Party Pomegranate Juice Gourmet Sugar Conscious Kidney Friendly Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes about 42 meatballs
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Make Sauce:
- Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours.
- Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Keep warm off heat, covered.
- Make Meatballs:
- Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.
- Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped. Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined. (Do not overblend.)
- Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil.
- Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle). Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan.
- Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.
- Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top. Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping.
Tips:
- Choose the Right Lamb: Opt for high-quality lamb meat with a good fat content for juicy meatballs.
- Season Generously: Use a flavorful blend of spices, herbs, and aromatics to enhance the taste of the meatballs.
- Handle the Meat Gently: Avoid overworking the meat mixture, as this can result in tough meatballs.
- Chill the Meatballs: Refrigerating the meatballs before cooking helps them hold their shape better.
- Cook Thoroughly: Ensure the meatballs are cooked through to prevent any potential health risks.
- Sauce It Up: Serve the meatballs in a flavorful sauce, such as a tomato-based sauce or a yogurt-based sauce.
Conclusion:
Turkish lamb meatballs, also known as köfte, are a delectable dish that combines flavorful lamb, aromatic spices, and a tender texture. By following the tips and tricks outlined in this article, you can create authentic Turkish lamb meatballs that will impress your taste buds and leave you craving more. Whether you prefer them grilled, pan-fried, or baked, these meatballs are a versatile addition to any meal. Experiment with different herbs, spices, and sauces to discover your favorite combination. So, gather your ingredients, put on your apron, and embark on a culinary journey to savor the delightful flavors of Turkish lamb meatballs. Bon appétit!
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