Çiğ Köfte

Çig Kofte

CIG KOFTE in English means ‘Raw Meatballs’, and has been in Turkish cuisine for more than three thousand of years. It is one of the ancient food varieties of the Mesopotamian region. 

This street food can be eaten in a lettuce leaf, or in a wrap with yoghurt, lettuce, and pomegranate molasses. 

This ancient food is made with bulgur, tomato paste, pepper paste, pomegranate syrup, and lots of spices. You don’t need to cook or do any further process to make Çiğ Köfte. This may sound very easy however, you need to knead the ingredients for about half an hour constantly with your palm to let the ingredients combine well with each other. 

An absolutely delicious vegan snack we ate all over Turkey, and that looks and tastes like meat. 

Ciğ Köfte

4 cups very fine bulgur (the dark variety called simit is best)

1.5 cups ripe tomatoes, grated (about 3 medium)

2 medium onions, grated

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoon red pepper paste (spicy or regular)

1/3 cup isot / Urfa biber flakes

1/3 cup sweet paprika

1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes

1 tbsp sumac

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt (gradually add more if desired)

3-5 ice cubes for kneading

Fresh Italian parsley and pickles for garnish

Romaine lettuce leaves, sliced lemon, Lebanese bread for service

Begin by finely grating the tomatoes, or put them through the food processor. 

Grate the onions, or blitz them in the food processor until they look finely diced. Strain the diced onions to remove as much of its water as possible either by hand or through a strainer. This step is essential to get rid of that bitter taste of onions.

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients except for ice cubes and the set-aside bulgur. To this mix, gradually start adding the bulgur, and begin kneading to roughly combine everything for a few minutes, ideally on a large tray.

If using hands for kneading, use your palms to push the mixture down into the tray, over and over again until it gets much softer and sticks together. Add ice cubes one by one for the gradual addition of water to the mix. Depending on your preference of chewiness, the kneading will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour both when kneaded by hand or by a stand mixer using the dough hook.

After a satisfactory taste test, begin shaping them by taking a two-tablespoon portion into your palm, leave some space between your fingers, and make your hand into a fist. This shape will be a lot easier to achieve when wearing kitchen gloves and moistening hands with either olive oil or water.

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