Fellah Koftesi
Fellah kofte recipe (Fellah koftesi, bulgur dumplings) is a super delicious and easy-to-make bulgur dumpling seasoned in delicious tomato sauce. Serve it as an amazing side dish!
Ingredients
- To cook the dumplings you need to add 1 tbsp. salt to 1 gallon 16 cups of water in an 8- quart pot and bring it to a gentle boil.
Dumpling mixture
- 1 cup finely grinded bulgur
- 2 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup semolina
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. salt or to taste
Tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cup grated tomato
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 cloves of garlic grated
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley and cilantro
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp. balck pepper or to taste
Garnish
- Yogurt mixture: Mix 1 cup of greek yogurt with 2 tsp. dry mint and 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley and cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare boiling water. Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and fill it with water and add salt to it. Let it come to a gentle boil.
- Make the bulgur balls mixture. Meanwhile, In a large bowl, add bulgur and hot water and stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest till cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. It will double in size. Then add to it semolina, flour, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, egg, and salt. Mix them all well using your hands. And knead it for about 2 minutes till smooth paste forms.
- Shape the dumplings/koftes. Take a 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture, damp your fingers and palm of your hands into a bowl of water, and shape it into a smooth ball, about the size of a penny. Then use your pinky finger and make a depression in the center of the ball. Continue with the rest of the mixture. Dust them lightly with flour. It is all worth the effort!
- Cook the dumplings. Place the dumplings in the hot gently boiling water over medium-low heat and let them cook till they float on the surface, about 15 minutes. They grow in size!
- Make tomato sauce. Meanwhile, place a pan over medium-high heat and add oil and tomato paste to it. Saute tomato paste for about 2 minutes. Then add garlic, tomato, salt, pepper, parsley, and cilantro. Cover and let them cook until the tomato is soft about 5 minutes. If you found your sauce on the watery side, let it evaporate till a thick sauce forms.
- Mix and serve. Take the cooked dumplings out of the pot and mix them very gently with the tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Plate and garnish with the yogurt mixture and parsley and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tips
- Make a double batch of dumplings. The bulgur dumplings freeze well. For your convenience, you may make a double batch of the dumplings and save it for later.
- Make them ahead. You can store the shaped dumplings in the fridge about 3 days in advance and use them when you need them.
- Make them small. You can make the dumpling into super small balls, with 1 tsp of bulgur mixture. Therefore no need to make an indent in the middle if you prefer. Overall, smaller dumplings absorb more tomato sauce and result in a super tasty and pleasant fellah koftesi tarifi dish.
- Adjust the flavor. You can use all tomato paste, half tomato paste half pepper paste, or all pepper paste.
- Make them vegan balls. You may substitute egg with a flax egg and use vegan yogurt for garnish.
- Use your favorite spices and herbs. You may add any spices or herbs you like the best to the fellah köftesi recipe. Cayenne pepper, red paper flake, ground coriander, curry, or turmeric. Dill, thyme, oregano, basil, or Italian herbs.
- Use these add-ons. You can add ground beef, ground chicken, or minced beef and chicken to the recipe. Vegetables such as eggplant and mushroom are other examples. Sautee them first in step 5. Diced sausages, cooked beans, and lentils are great too. Chopped nuts such as walnut, pecan, or cashew are other options.
- Shape them into small balls. You may make the balls very small. So no more need to make an indent in the middle.
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free flour such as rice flour or oat flour instead.
- Add butter. To make the Fellah kofte dish extra delicious, you can always add a few tablespoons of butter to the tomato sauce.
- Cut the dumplings instead. Make a long 1/2 inch thick stripe of the burger mixture over a well-dusted surface with flour and cut them into 1/2 inch long.
- Make them fluffy. If you wish, you can add 1/2 tsp. of baking soda ( or 2 tsp. of baking powder) to the dumpling mixture. Then, shape the dumplings into small, 1/2-inch, diameter balls. This will make the dumpling fluffy, tender, and light.
- Use them in soup/stew. Add them to your soup or stew recipe to make them a bulky and comforting dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 2259mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8g
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