Fellah Köftesi, Turkish Bulgur Köfte in Tomato
Fellah köftesi means peasant köfte, and the name is honest: little dumplings of fine bulgur, no meat, from Antakya in Turkey's far south. The bulgur is kneaded with tomato and cumin until it turns into a workable dough, rolled into beads, dimpled with a finger, and dropped into a light tomato broth scented with dried mint. Most versions bind the dough with a handful of flour; kneaded long enough, fine bulgur holds together on its own. Toasting the tomato paste and blooming the dried mint are where the depth comes from, so neither step is optional. Salt-free Aleppo pepper carries a fruity heat without the salt the flakes are often sold with. Eat them warm in their broth, with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Bulgur, fine grind (köftelik)
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste, no-salt-added, divided
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, salt-free, divided
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes, no-salt-added
- 1 tbsp Dried mint
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Method
- Pour 1.5 cups just-boiled water over the fine bulgur, stir in 2 tbsp of the tomato paste, cover, and leave 20 minutes until the water is drunk up and the grain is soft. Soaking the bulgur soft is what lets it be kneaded into a dough later.
- Knead the soaked bulgur hard for 3 or 4 minutes with the cumin and half the Aleppo pepper, until it stops being crumbly and turns into a smooth, tacky paste that holds a shape. Traditional recipes bind fellah köftesi with flour; kneaded long enough, the starch the bulgur releases binds it on its own.
- Pinch off marble-sized pieces, roll them round, and press each once with a fingertip to leave a dimple. The dimple thins the center so the beads cook through evenly and gives the broth a pocket to sit in.
- For the broth, sweat the onion and garlic in 3 tbsp water until soft, then stir in the last tablespoon of tomato paste and the paprika and cook a minute until the paste darkens to brick red. Toasting the paste this way builds savory depth that stands in for a meat stock.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water, bring to a gentle simmer, and slide in the köfte. Simmer 15 minutes, until they firm up and float. Keep the heat low so they hold together rather than break apart.
- Rub the dried mint between your palms into the pot, add the rest of the Aleppo pepper and the lemon, and scatter the parsley. Dried mint blooms in the hot broth and, with the double hit of Aleppo and lemon, carries the seasoning that salt would.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 280 calories, 8 g protein, 9 g fiber, 45 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
