Showing posts with label Fine Bulgur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fine Bulgur. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

How to Make Bulgur Köfte

Making Köfte (meatballs) out of bulgur is very easy and the base of several dishes in Turkey. You can either make them the hard way  by hand or just put everything into your food processor and process with the metal blade until the mixture comes together.


A plate of prepared köfte waiting to be cooked into one of the many recipes


The size of these should be no bigger than the size of the average catseye marble or smaller.


prepared dough

2 cups fine bulgur (simit)
flour
water
salt


Put the bulgur into your food processor bowl with the metal blade.  Add in about 2 tbsp of flour, salt (to taste) and about 4 tbsp of water.  Pulse until well mixed, look at the mix if it is dry keep adding in very small amounts, tablespoonfuls at a time and keep pulsing until the mix is soft and pliable. Use your judgement to decide the flour and water amounts.  This dough should be able to hold together when being cooked.


Wet your hands with water, some people use oil, try both and see what works better for you. Take marble sized pieces and squeeze together to make sure the mix is bonded then roll well into small balls.  Keep wetting your hands while you work your way through the mixture.  Dont make them too wet or your mixture will become too wet to work with.  You have to be confident and fast when working with this dough as it dries out quickly making it harder and harder to be able to form the köftes.  If your mix becomes too hard add in a very small amount of water and knead through or using very wet hands knead it again until it becomes pliable.


Two cups of fine bulgur is enough to feed a family or enough for a buffet sized dish.


To cook the köfte put a large saucepan filled with water onto the stove and bring it to the boil.  In the water add a splash of olive oil.  When the water comes to a rolling boil add the köfte.  They dont take long to cook.  When they come to the top which is in about a few minutes take a slotted spoon and lift out of the water and put onto a plate.


You can eat these as is with an olive oil, tomato based dressing or add the köfte into soupy dishes to make hearty meals.


Coming up on Friday I will give you a easy dish using these köftes..

Monday, 18 July 2011

Yağlı Köfte - Bulgur Köfte



Life can be interesting if you are open for it and sometimes even if your not.  I go to the Bazaar on Sundays and on the way there and back there is a woman.  She would look at me and talk to whoever was next to  her and even pointed.  I felt uncomfortable but kept going.  This continued for over 6 months then one day she finally approached me.  I was unsure at first because of the whispering, sideway glances and outright staring.  I decided to smile and brave it.  I was pleasently surprised when the contact was friendly.  She asked me a few questions as only the Turks can do and then proceeded to ask me to her place for coffee at some time in the future.  I smiled politely and moved on.  Yesterday I decided to take up her offer and went to her house.  She was very gracious and hospitable and very happy we came.  We had coffee, fruit, tea, biscuits and we stayed for lunch.  She was even happier when I asked if I could take photos.  This is what she made for us.  Yağli Köfte is a köfte recipe famous in Gaziantep and made from the fine form of Bulgur.
Simit Bulur - Fine Bulgur


2 cups Fine Bulgur
2 tbsp pepper paste/tomato paste
2 tomatoes
1 cup of parsley
3 onions
1 head of garlic
1 cup of oil
chilli powder


This köfte is kneaded and takes about 15 mintues of good kneading to get the desired consistency.  (you can of course use your food processor to get the same results). She took the bulgur, chilli and pepper paste and started kneading that together then the onions and garlic.  Once you have that all kneaded in add in the tomatoes until they have been absorbed in.  Add in the parsley and continue kneading.  With all the kneading the ingredients disappear into the bulgur mix.  Add in the oil at this stage, she heated it up and added it in.  Continue kneading for another 5 minutes.  Hand form and serve.  


To make this in your food processor just put everything in together but not all the oil.  Process this with the metal blade until it is a paste.  If it is too dry add in all the oil or if it is too wet add in more bulgur.  You need to be able to form this in your hands with it staying in shape and not falling apart.  Take a small handful amount and shape into an oblong form.


Getting ready


Daughter cutting the veggies

Kneading

More Kneading

Forming the köfte

I enjoyed the köfte and made a new friend.  What adventures will you discover yourselves in today?


http://verygoodrecipes.com/turkish