Kofte - Turkish Meatballs

Turkish meatballs turn a dinner table into an authentic feast when served with sumac onions, Turkish bean salad called piyaz and Turkish cacik. They are easy to make and make a perfect family dinner. That's why this is one of our most popular Turkish food recipes.

We learnt how to make such scrumptious Turkish köfte from a small meatball restaurant. So we are really excited to share it with you today.

What Is Köfte?

Kofte is the term used in Turkish cuisine for meatballs. It is a ball shaped ground beef dish. In a basic kofte recipe, ground beef, lamb or a combination of these two is combined with bread crumbs, onion, garlic and spices. Then it is rolled into balls and cooked over grill, stove or in oven.

There are several kofte recipes in Turkey. Here are some:

• Turkish kofta kebab
• İzmir Köfte (Meatballs and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce)
• Kadinbudu Kofte
• Meatball Stew
• Eggplant Kebab

And we are sharing the most common kofte recipe here. You can serve these either on a plate with some pide bread on the side or in a sandwich bread or in a wrap using lavash.

Turkish Kofte Spice Mix

Although what spices to add in a kofte mixture is up to your taste, the best Turkish kofte has the following spices: salt, cumin, black pepper and dried thyme.

In addition to these, some köfte recipes include a few more spices such as chili powder, red pepper flakes (pul biber), Urfa Biber (Aleppo pepper).

These are basic spices we use when making Turkish köfte, but you can get creative and add your favorite spices as well.

We sometimes add a pinch of cinnamon or curry powder when we need a change, but these are not included in an authentic Turkish kofte recipe.

About The Ingredients

We mostly make it with ground beef, that is 80% lean. If you like the flavor of lamb, you can use a combination of lamb and beef. It will become even moister that way.

Besides ground beef, we use kofte spice mix, onions (finely chopped or pureed), garlic and bread crumbs. You can substitute 2 slices of bread (crumbled) for bread crumbs. Mom adds finely chopped parsley in the mixture and we love it too. It makes a wonderful twist on classic Turkish meatballs.

Besides the ingredients above, there are three ingredients that will help you have fluffy meatballs. These are: baking soda, lemon juice and water.

Mix these in a small bowl and pour in the ground beef mixture. Combine them all and let the mixture sit in the refrigerator at least 2-3 hours for the best result.

How To Make Kofte

This is the best kofte recipe we've ever made. If we can make it, you can too. It has five easy parts:

First, in a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion and garlic. Add in the spices.

Second, in a small bowl mix baking soda lemon juice and water. Pour it in the ground beef mixture.

Third, using your hand, mix everything well. Knead it for about a minute and chill in the refrigerator covered for 2-3 hours.

Fourth, roll the mixture into balls. Brush a large plate with a little olive oil and place each meatball on it. Olive oil will prevent them from sticking on the plate.

Fifth, cook the meatballs in a cast iron pan in batches. Heat a little oil in the pan and place the meatballs in it. Cook them over high heat first for about 30 seconds, flipping them over. Then bring the heat to the lowest and keep cooking until done, shaking the pan occasionally.

Our Tips

It is simple and easy to make Turkish meatballs at home but has some secrets to make them as tasty and juicy as the ones you eat out.

1. What makes Turkish meatballs that tasty is the type of meat used. You need to buy the right ground beef for flavorsome meatballs. Forget about lean ground beef and ask for 20% fat, which means 80% lean. You need fat to keep your meatballs moist on the inside.
2. Another thing when buying ground beef is asking for freshly ground. Don’t buy packaged ground beef, you can never be sure the type of beef inside those packages.Also, it’s not good when it sits for a long time. Finally, have it double ground.
3. The key ingredient for this Turkish meatball recipe is baking soda. It helps them have that tenderness.
4. You need to prepare the meatball mixture and let it rest in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Overnight is the best.
5. You should dice the onions super finely or puree it.
6. If you are at home and don’t have a grill or barbecue, the best way to cook Turkish meatballs is in a cast iron pan.
7. Start cooking them on the highest heat, flipping them over so that all sides equally change the color, for 2 minutes. Then bring it to the lowest heat and continue cooking until done, for about 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Traditionally, Turkish meatballs are often served with either coban salad or piyaz.

Turkish cacik (Greek tzatziki) gives a nice refreshment when served with kofte. Other sides to serve are herbs, pickles, roasted onions or fried oyster mushrooms, garlic or peppers.

Also, kofte goes very well with Turkish rice pilav or bulgur pilav.

If you want to serve it with some bread, we recommend pide ekmek, lavash or bazlama.

These are accompanied by yogurt drink ayran, which is a cold drink that goes well with any meat dish.

Can Kofte Be Frozen?

Yes, absolutely! Moms in Turkey have always meatballs in the freezer and these are their number one option whenever they feel stuck to decide what to cook for dinner. It’s for sure that their family will devour it.

To freeze form the ground beef mixture into patties: Lay them over a large plate in a single layer. Let them sit in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the freezer and put them in freezer bags. They don’t stick to one another this way.

You can take the meatballs straight from the freezer and cook. No need for defrosting.

We highly recommend you to make a big batch of these kofte patties and freeze them for busy weeknight dinners. You can imagine how time  and life saving it is when you have starving people running around you.

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