Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls)
The modern meat-free çiğ köfte of south-eastern Turkey — fine bulgur kneaded at length with pepper paste, chilli and herbs until it binds like dough, squeezed into finger shapes and eaten wrapped in lettuce with lemon.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 250 g fine bulgur
- 150 ml hot water
- 1 medium onion, very finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp isot or Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 head crisp lettuce leaves, to serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Nutrition (estimated)
high confidenceRecipe total: 843 kcal · P 17g · C 98.8g · F 48.6g
Estimated from 16 of 16 ingredients
Approximate estimate, calculated from the ingredients.
Video
Steps
Steps
- 1Put the bulgur in a wide bowl, pour over the hot water, cover and leave for 15 minutes to absorb it.
- 2Add the onion, garlic, pepper paste, tomato paste, chilli flakes, cumin and salt.
- 3Knead hard with your knuckles for 15 minutes, wetting your hands now and then; the bulgur softens and turns into a smooth, cohesive dough that holds its shape — skimp on this and the rolls crumble.
- 4Work in the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil, then the spring onions and parsley, and knead for 2 minutes more.
- 5Taste: it should be hot, sour and well seasoned, so add a little more lemon juice or chilli if needed.
- 6Take a walnut-sized piece and squeeze it in your fist into a ridged finger shape marked by your fingers; repeat with the rest.
- 7Serve at room temperature, wrapped in the lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lemon.
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Questions and answers
How long does Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls) take to make?
About 40 minutes.
What ingredients do you need for Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls)?
16 ingredients: fine bulgur, hot water, onion, garlic cloves, Turkish red pepper paste, tomato paste, isot or Aleppo chilli flakes, ground cumin, salt, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil and 4 more.
How many servings does this Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls) recipe make?
6 servings. The servings buttons above the ingredients rescale every amount.
How many calories are in a serving of Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls)?
About 140 kcal, with 2.8 g protein, 16.5 g carbohydrate and 8.1 g fat. This is an estimate from the ingredients, not a lab analysis.
Which diets does this Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls) recipe suit?
It is vegan.
What cuisine is Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls)?
Çiğ Köfte (Meat-Free Spicy Bulgur Rolls) comes from Turkish cuisine.
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