Potato and bulgur kofte
Having lived in Turkey, I go through phases when I want to eat home made Turkish food. This potato and bulgur kofte is one of those dishes which I don't see served in a Turkish restaurant in New York City. Hence I decided to make them for dinner tonight.
Unlike most kofte's these are not fried or baked - the Turks have variations of these with red lentils as well, which is more common. In my interpretation, the bulgur is mixed with some tomato paste for color and harissa for spice (the authentic version has chili paste or chili flakes) and soaked with some hot water allowing the bulgur to cook. The potatoes are boiled, peeled and mashed. The mashed potatoes are combined with the soaked bulgur, once they have absorbed all the liquid. Finally, finely chopped parsley is added to the mixture and they are made into little balls. It served with a simple salad of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, feta and olives.
1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat
2 small russet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon concentrated tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa
1 1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup hot water
Unlike most kofte's these are not fried or baked - the Turks have variations of these with red lentils as well, which is more common. In my interpretation, the bulgur is mixed with some tomato paste for color and harissa for spice (the authentic version has chili paste or chili flakes) and soaked with some hot water allowing the bulgur to cook. The potatoes are boiled, peeled and mashed. The mashed potatoes are combined with the soaked bulgur, once they have absorbed all the liquid. Finally, finely chopped parsley is added to the mixture and they are made into little balls. It served with a simple salad of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, feta and olives.
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Potato and bulgur kofte |
2 small russet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon concentrated tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa
1 1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup hot water
- Add the chopped spring onions, harissa and tomato sauce to the bulgur and mix well to ensure the harissa and tomato paste coats all the bulgur. Add 1/2 cup hot water and keep covered for 15 minutes. Remove the cover - the bulgur would have absorbed all the water - if not replace the cover and check after 5 minutes.
- In the meantime boil the potatoes in their jackets - or peel, cut into quarters and boil. Once the potatoes are boiled, remove the peel if you have chosen the first method. Put the peeled potatoes through a ricer and press through to get fluffy mashed potatoes. (If you don't have a ricer, mash the potatoes with your hands). Mix the riced potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, ground cumin, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper and mash with the fluffed up bulgur mixture. Finally add the minced parsley and mix well to ensure the entire mixture has little flecks of green.
- Using your hands shape the bulgur, potato mixture into little balls, the size of golf balls. Serve with a salad.
Makes 18 golf ball sized kofte
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