Turkish Bulgur Balls
"Turkish Bulgur Balls" is one of the most known and loved local dishes of Gaziantep, southeast of Turkey.
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.