YALANCI ÇİĞ KÖFTE (HOT VEGGIE BALLS WITH BULGUR AND AROMATIC HERBS) – Food Connects People

Original name: Yalancı Çiğ Köfte

Origin: Turkey

Ingredients 700 gr bulgur (Turkish couscous) 1 big onion chopped finely 4-5 cloves of garlic smashed 3 spoons of Turkish pepper paste 2 spoon of tomato paste 3-4 mature medium size tomatoes, peeled off and grated 6 spoons isot (Kurdish peperoncino) 1 small spoon yenibahar (Turkish mixed spice) 1 small spoon cumin powder ½ small spoon black pepper ½ small spoon dry mint 1 bunch of parsley, chopped finely 4 springs of green onions, chopped finely 12-15 leaves of fresh mint, chopped finely 4 eggs scrambled well

4 spoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
Fry scrambled eggs in heated olive oil and put aside to cool. Mix onion, garlic, pepper and tomato pastes and 1 spoon of isot. Then add them to bulgur in a large and deep pot where you will continuously knead (impastare). Soak the rest of the isot with 1 glass of cold water and put aside. For at least 20-30 minutes knead the bulgur mixture and each 4-5 minutes add a little bit from the soaked isot and grated tomatoes. Then add the spices (yenibahar, cumin powder, black pepper, dry mint) together with ½ glass of cold water and continue kneading. Taste it, if bulgur is still hard, continue adding little cold water every 4-5 minutes. Once bulgur gets soft, add the eggs and make a last knead. Finally add the parsley, green onions and fresh mint and mix well. Take a small piece, give it a cylinder shape with your palms as seen in the picture. Eat with with lettuce (lattuga romana) , rocket (rucola) and lemon. Notice that it is the queen of Raki mezes.

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