Vegetarian Çiğ Köfte Recipe
My Çiğ Köfte is a simple, vegetarian version of the classic Turkish street food made with fine bulgur, rich tomato and pepper paste, warm spices, and a touch of pomegranate molasses.
Servings: 30 pieces
Calories: 82kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups fine bulgur (400 grams)
- 1 ⅞ cups hot water (450 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 medium onions (grated)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon sumac
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon all spice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml)
- 2 tablespoon isot
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the fine bulgur and salt in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Pour hot water over it, mix well, and cover. Let it sit for about 6-7 minutes until the bulgur absorbs the water and becomes soft.
- Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the bulgur is resting. Peel and finely grate the onion or blitz it in a food processor. Juice the grated/blitzed onion using a clean kitchen cloth or a fine sieve. Keep the onions for Çiğ Köfte and store the juice for making Lamb Shish Kebabs or Turkish Grilled Lamb Kofte - Izgara Kofte.
- Add the grated onions to soaked bulgur along with minced garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, ground cumin, paprika, sumac, chili flakes, isot, olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, all spice, and black pepper.
- Attach the paddle to the stand mixer and knead the mixture for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and continue kneading for another 5 minutes, until the mixture sticks together.
- Take small portions of the mixture and shape them with your fingers to create slightly elongated, oval shapes with indentations. This recipe yields 30-35 pieces, depending on the size of your meatballs.
- Serve your meatless Çiğ Köfte on a platter with fresh lettuce leaves and lemon wedges. To eat, take a piece of lettuce, place a köfte in the middle, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over it, wrap it up, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use fine bulgur, as it has the perfect texture for this dish. Coarser bulgur won’t soften as well and will alter the texture.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of chili flakes according to your spice tolerance. You can also add more or less garlic or lemon juice depending on your preference.
- Use a glove or lightly wet your fingers while shaping to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
- Mix long enough for the mixture to become smooth.
- Serve Çiğ Köfte as soon as possible after preparing to enjoy its freshest flavor and best texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.5mg