Bulgur Balls is one of the recipes I want to share most. It is one of the most known and loved local dishes of Gaziantep, southeast of Turkey. Bulgur balls is a spicy soup which we often make at home. It’s in the top 3 of my favorite dishes list.
Although making bulgur balls may seem a bit challenging, this dish is actually very practical. We roll bulgur balls into big balls. So you can do it quickly. You can even make a few batches at once and store the cooked bulgur balls in the freezer. And it is really practical. Bulgur balls taken out of the freezer never become soft. You can serve it with peace of mind as if you had made it that day.
Another practical aspect of Turkish bulgur balls is that it is a dish served on their own. In other words, since there is no need for any side dishes such as rice, puree or pasta. So it is easier to serve than other dishes. Despite this, it is a protein-rich, very filling and nutritious one-pot dish due to the bulgur, chickpeas and meat it contains.
Tips for Making BulgurBalls:
The basic ingredients of bulgur balls recipe, one of the most special local dishes of Gaziantep, are generally the same. But everyone has their own recipe. My family do not add minced meat to the dough, some people do. Bulgur balls are cooked with the broth anyway, so there is no loss of flavor. You can also add bone broth to make it even more nutritious. Or you can boil meat with bones and use its broth. Since this dish is a kind of spicy and sour soup, it goes well with chicken meat also. You can make a nutritious and delicious meal by using chicken thighs instead of red meat.
You can add sourness to the dish with either sumac (liquid), lemon juice or even sour grapes. If you do not have these on hand, lemon salt (citric acid) can be used instead.
Before you start rolling the meatballs, take a bowl of water with you. Because while rolling, the dough may start to stick to your hands after a while, or it may dry out after a while. When you have difficulty rolling, wet your palm with water and continue. This way you can make meatballs quickly and easily.
Now let’s move on to the recipe.
Another recipe with thin bulgur “Lentil Balls”
How to Make Bulgur Balls:
1. Step: First, boil the pieces of meat in 7-8 glasses of water with chickpeas that have been soaked the day before. After removing the keff (foam) from the meat, add chopped onion and salt and continue cooking.
2. Step: When the meat is cooked, add the tomato paste, pepper paste, sour (liquid sumac or lemon juice or lemon salt), spices and bone broth, and bring it to the boil again.
3. Step: While the meat is cooking, start making the bulgur balls. Place thin bulgur and semolina into a mixing bowl. Pour hot water over it. Cover it and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
4. Step: Then add the egg, flour and spices to the slightly swollen bulgur.
5. Step: Knead the dough well, combine all the ingredients well. You can add water little by little if necessary. Knead until the mixture is smooth and stretchy.
6. Step: Before you start rolling the bulgur balls, take a bowl of water with you. Tear off marble-sized pieces from the dough you kneaded. Roll the balls by wetting your palm with water from time to time.
7. Step: Place the rolled bulgur balls in a steel strainer the size of your pot. When you are done rolling, place the strainer over the boiling pot and close it.
8. Step: Steam the bulgur balls for about 15 minutes and set aside.
9. Step: Before serving, add the balls to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
10. Step: Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add dry mint, black pepper. After 2-3 minutes add red pepper flakes and turn off the heat. Pour all the oil into the pot and mix. Serve without delay.
Bon Appetit!
Turkish Bulgur Balls
Ingredients
Broth:
- 500 g meat cubed
- 1+½ cup chicpeas soaked 1 night before
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tbsp red pepper paste if you don't have it use more tomato paste
- 1+½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1+½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon salt or liquid sumac or juice of 1 big lemon
Bulgur Balls:
- 2 cups thin bulgur
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp blackpepper
- 1 pinch salt
Oily Sauce:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, boil the pieces of meat in 7-8 glasses of water with chickpeas that have been soaked the day before. After removing the keff (foam) from the meat, add chopped onion and salt and continue cooking.
- When the meat is cooked, add the tomato paste, pepper paste, sour (liquid sumac or lemon juice or lemon salt), spices and bone broth, and bring it to the boil again.
- While the meat is cooking, start making the bulgur balls. Place thin bulgur and semolina into a mixing bowl. Pour hot water over it. Cover it and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Then add the egg, flour and spices to the slightly swollen bulgur.
- Knead the dough well, combine all the ingredients well. You can add water little by little if necessary. Knead until the mixture is smooth and stretchy.
- Before you start rolling the bulgur balls, take a bowl of water with you. Tear off marble-sized pieces from the dough you kneaded. Roll the balls by wetting your palm with water from time to time.
- Place the rolled bulgur balls in a steel strainer the size of your pot. When you are done rolling, place the strainer over the boiling pot and close it.
- Steam the bulgur balls for about 15 minutes and set aside.
- Before serving, add the balls to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add dry mint, black pepper. After 2-3 minutes add red pepper flakes and turn off the heat. Pour all the oil into the pot and mix. Serve without delay.