Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs
Juicy, spicy Turkish-style meatballs made with a herb-and-spice paste, seared and simmered in a tangy yogurt-tomato sauce.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 lbground beef lean or extra lean to your preference, lean is a tad better 🙂
- 1 small red onion
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1-2 fresh green chilli or jalapeños to your taste—or skip altogether if you don’t like a strong spice
- 2 tablespoonsfresh cilantro leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoonsfresh dill leaves
- 2 or more tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoonnutmeg
- 1 teaspoonallspice
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
- 1/2 teaspoonpepper
- 2 tablespoonsground rice flour or grind 1/4 cup of any type of rice till it’s a fine powder
- 1 teaspoonolive oil
- 1 teaspoonolive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 clovesgarlicminced
- 2 green chilli thinly sliced or use jalapeños or skip altogether for a milder sauce
- 1 cupcanned crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoonnutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoonsalt
- 1/4 teaspoonpepper
- 1/2 cupcold plain yogurt Green yogurt works fine
- 1 tablespooncornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoonsfresh cilantro
- 2 more Tablespoons of fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoonsfresh dill
Instructions
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients: peel the small red onion and garlic cloves; remove stems from the 1–2 fresh green chilli if using. Measure out the herbs, spices, ground rice flour, and the rest of the ingredients.
- Make the meatball paste: in a food processor add 1 small red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1–2 fresh green chilli (to taste), 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, 2 (or more) tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons ground rice flour. Process until a smooth, uniform paste forms.
- Combine with beef: transfer the paste to a large bowl, add 1 lb ground beef, and mix gently but thoroughly until evenly combined. Do not overwork the meat.
- Shape the meatballs: form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place them on a baking sheet or plate in a single layer.
- Heat the pan for searing: place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Heat until the oil is hot and shimmery.
- Sear the meatballs: add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer without crowding. Do not move them for the first 2 minutes to allow a crust to form. After 2 minutes, gently swirl the pan and use a spatula or spoon to roll/toss the meatballs so they brown evenly on all sides. Continue searing for about 5 more minutes total (about 7 minutes total searing) until nicely browned.
- Remove meatballs: transfer the seared meatballs to a clean plate and set aside.
- Start the sauce: lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to the same pan, then add 1 small onion (minced), 2 cloves garlic (minced), and 2 green chilli (thinly sliced) if using. Sauté until the onion is soft and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and spices: add 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Make the yogurt slurry: in a small cup combine 1/2 cup cold plain yogurt and 1 tablespoon cornstarch; stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved into the yogurt.
- Temper and add the yogurt: remove the pan lid, stir the sauce, then slowly pour the yogurt mixture into the sauce while stirring. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer (small bubbles), stirring so the yogurt blends in smoothly.
- Finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce: add the reserved meatballs back into the sauce, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Add fresh herbs and serve: stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, 2 more tablespoons fresh parsley, and 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, toss gently to coat the meatballs, and serve immediately.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Large Bowl
- Sauté Pan
- Baking sheet or plate
- Spatula or spoon
- small cup
Notes
TURKISH MEATBALLS/KOFTE TIPSPick 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.
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.