This is a lovely, filling, easy köfte dish to make that most if not all people will eat. You can make the Köfte ahead of time and freeze making this a very quick meal to make.
250 gr chicken pieces
2 cups prepared köfte
2 tbsp pepper paste(tomato)
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
water
salt
pepper
You can either use chicken breast or chicken on the bone to make this dish. Most people will use chicken on the bone that has been cut into small pieces.
Take a saucepan and put the chicken pieces into it, cover with water bring to the boil and then simmer until the chicken is cooked. At this time add in the pepper paste, cooked chickpeas, salt and pepper then taste. Add in more water until it covers the chicken well and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and add in the köfte. While the köfte is coooking stir a couple of times. The water level needs to be above the köfte. If you need to add in more water only add in boiling water at this time. When the köfte are ready they will rise to the top. Taste again and if needed add in more pepper paste and salt. Take off the heat and serve.
If you want to use chicken breast for this I would recommend frying the chicken pieces in some olive oil then adding in the water or chicken stock and following the rest of the recipe.
The reason why chicken on the bone is used is because the flavour is nicer and you are cooking the chicken first then using that stock to create the base of the dish.
I usually have in my freezer cooked chickpeas and prepared bulgur köfte making it easier to have dishes like this or pilavs on the table quickly.
Hope you enjoy this as it is a hearty meal yet not too heavy. I will be giving a bulgur köfte based recipe for each week for the rest of the month.
http://verygoodrecipes.com/turkish
When I was over teaching english, the students mother started making börek as she had visitors coming. She said it was Kömbe. I was surprised as I thought she would have to make more dough and as you can see in the photos she only prepared 2 large balls. I questioned her about it and she said no Im making Kömbe. This woman comes from the same area as my husband even from the same village but this was not the Kömbe of that area. I asked her which region is this from. She said it is Antep Kömbe, that started making a bit more sense to me then. Her husband is from Hatay and she said they aslo make it there. This Kömbe is different to the other recipe I posted here, instead of being multi layered it has a bottom and a top with the filling in between so more like the pies I am used to.
She made the dough and kneaded it. Made the filling and par cooked it. Placed the pastry base on the tray. Put on the filling. Put the top on. Made a steam vent then decorated it. This was all cooked on a large tray then taken to the local bakery to be cooked.
500gr - 1 kilo flour (depending on how large your tray is)
water
salt
olive oil
500gr chicken breasts or left over chicken meat
5 onions
chilli
salt
Make a nice soft dough and let sit for 30 minutes. While that is resting finely dice the chicken breast and put into your frypan with a splash of olive oil. Add in chilli powder to taste. Finely slice onions and add into the pan. Cook this for about 5 minutes until the chicken turns colour and take off the heat.
Divide the dough in half. Take one of the balls and roll it out and fit to your pan. Spread all the cooled filling ontop. Roll out the other ball to fit your tray and place on top. Roll the edges together then take a knife and cut in a steam vent in the middle. Using a spoon, press lightly onto the börek surface and decorate. Spread over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough. If you dont have a local bakery that will cook for you. Cook this is a very hot oven until the pastry is done.
I have no photo of it cooked as I had to leave before she had come back from the bakery. Her daughter came knocking on my door about an hour later with a plate of Kömbe. We enjoyed it so much that we forgot about taking a shot of the end product.
http://verygoodrecipes.com/turkish
