A delicious mini meatball that’s packed with so much more than just meat. Served with yogurt and a spice oil drizzle, it’s a beautiful and delicious creation!
Essentially, I would consider this dish a meatball. Although the ratio of bulgur to meat is 2 to 1 so maybe it’s more like a bulgur & meatball but regardless, it’s delicious.
While it is a bit of a labor of love to prepare them, the lovely end product is what makes it all worth it. It’s a good dish to make with friends or with kids because it requires a lot of kneading and rolling into the small balls.
Here’s the recipe:
- 6 oz ground beef
- 1.5 c simit bulgur (a fine, small bulgur variety)
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 TBSP dried tarragon (crushed)
- 2 TBSP red pepper flakes (non-spicey)
- 6 1/2 cups of yogurt
- 0.5 c water
- 0.5 c sunflower oil (or any neutral oil: vegetable, canola, etc.)
- 0.25 c olive oil
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Preparation:
In a large shallow bowl mix together the ground beef, bulgur, red onion, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper. Knead together for 5 to 10 minutes, adding the water tablespoon by tablespoon as needed.
Then add the finely chopped parsley. Continue kneading for 5-10 minutes, adding the water tablespoon by tablespoon as needed until the consistency is moist enough to roll into balls without falling apart or sticking to your hands.
Taking piece by piece of the mixture, roll it into small 1 inch balls.
Once all of the balls are made, pile them into a steamer basket and place on the stove to steam for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the stove and set aside for 10 minutes.
Fill a frying pan with the sunflower oil and olive oil. Once it is hot, add the meatballs and fry until lightly browned.
Stir in the red pepper flakes and remove the pan from the heat.
To serve, plate 1 TBSP of yogurt on each plate and then top with several meatballs and a light drizzle of the red pepper oil.
Serve and enjoy!
Afiyet Olsun!