Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs
User Reviews
4.7
-
Prep Time
10 mins
-
Cook Time
25 mins
-
Total Time
35 mins
-
Servings
6
-
Calories
267 kcal
-
Course
Main Course
-
Cuisine
Mediterranean, Turkish
Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (lean or extra lean to your preference, lean is a tad better :) )
- 1 red onion small
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 green chili or jalapeños) to your taste-or skip altogether if you don’t like a strong spice, fresh
- 2 tablespoons cilantro fresh leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dill fresh leaves
- 2 fresh parsley or more tablespoons, leaves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons rice flour or grind 1/4 cup of any type of rice till it’s a fine powder, ground
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion small, minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green chili or use jalapeños) or skip altogether for a milder sauce, thinly sliced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes canned
- 2 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup PLAIN yogurt Green yogurt works fine, cold
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro fresh
- 2 fresh parsley more tablespoons
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dill fresh
Notes
TURKISH MEATBALLS/KOFTE TIPS
Pick your blend of beef and lamb or all beef, or all lamb. Make sure you use ground rice powder--this adds an incredible chewy texture to meatballs versus a crumbly texture! When frying, don’t move the Turkish meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust. If you’re out of yogurt, then you can use light cream or half n half. The trick to a nice thick and creamy yogurt sauce without having the sauce separate is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the yogurt before cooking it. This trick is magic! Leftovers can be frozen or stored in the fridge and reheated before serving.
- Pick your blend of beef and lamb or all beef, or all lamb.
- Make sure you use ground rice powder--this adds an incredible chewy texture to meatballs versus a crumbly texture!
- When frying, don’t move the Turkish meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust.
- If you’re out of yogurt, then you can use light cream or half n half.
- The trick to a nice thick and creamy yogurt sauce without having the sauce separate is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the yogurt before cooking it. This trick is magic!
- Leftovers can be frozen or stored in the fridge and reheated before serving.