Turkish Kofte
Spiced grilled meatballs with onion, parsley, and cumin.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
How this varies: İnegöl köfte (from Bursa province) sometimes adds a bit of tail fat or a pinch of baking soda for extra tenderness, while pan-fried İzmir-style köfte (simmered in tomato sauce with potatoes) genuinely does use egg and breadcrumbs — so that binder isn't wrong everywhere, just not for the grilled style this recipe describes.
Ingredients
- 500g ground lamb, or a mix of lamb and beef (about 20% fat)
- 1 medium onion, grated and squeezed very dry
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (pul biber), plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Yogurt, sumac onions, and warm flatbread, to serve
Steps
- In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, grated and squeezed onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, Aleppo pepper, paprika, allspice, salt, and pepper.
- Knead firmly by hand for several minutes until the mixture turns sticky and homogenous — this is what holds the kofte together on the grill, no egg or breadcrumbs needed.
- Cover and rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes, up to overnight, to firm up and let the flavors meld.
- With wet hands, shape into oblong logs around flat metal skewers, pressing firmly so the meat clings, or form into oval patties if skewer-free.
- Grill over hot charcoal or a very hot grill pan, turning once, 3-4 minutes per side, until well-charred outside and just cooked through.
- Rest a couple of minutes, then serve with yogurt, sumac onions, and warm flatbread.