Turkish Beef Kofta Recipe
This Turkish beef kofta recipe is easy to make, always delicious, and perfect for parties. The meatballs can be pan-fried or baked.
Servings: 30 -35 meatballs
Calories: 279kcal
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion about 75 g/ 2.6 oz
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 large egg
- 2 oz white bread 60 g, weighed after removing the crust (about 1-2 white bread slices, depending on size)
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ¾ teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or regular red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespooons oil divided between the batches
Instructions
Mix:
- Gather kofta ingredients: Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Grate the onion and the garlic cloves and add to the bowl together with the chopped parsley. Lightly beat the egg and crumble the crustless white bread with your hands or in a food processor. Add both to the bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, allspice, baking soda, salt, and pepper.1 lb ground beef + 1 onion + 3 garlic cloves + 1 large egg + 2 oz white bread + 2 tablespoons parsley + ¾ teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes + 1 teaspoon ground cumin + 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander + 1 teaspoon allspice + ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper + ½- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Mix thoroughly with your hands, at least 3-4 minutes. You can cover and refrigerate the mixture now and cook the meatballs a few hours later.
- Form small meatballs, between 30 and 35 of them.
Fry:
- Fry meatballs: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick or cast-iron pan. Fry the meatballs on medium heat in two batches for about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to prevent them from sticking to the pan or becoming too dark. Turn the heat down slightly if you notice that the koftas are getting too dark before being cooked through.
- Check after 7-8 minutes by cutting one kofta in the middle.
- To fry the second batch of koftas, add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat.
Bake:
- To bake the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes until cooked through but not overcooked.
Notes
Freeze uncooked meatballs: Shape them into balls and freeze them. To do so, place them into airtight containers layered between sheets of parchment paper. Freeze for up to two months and defrost slowly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
Nutrition
Serving: 5g | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 456mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g