Turkish Meatballs - Beef Kofta Recipe

Step 1

Place the ground beef to a bowl. Grate the onion and the garlic cloves and add to the bowl together with the chopped parsley.

Step 2

Lightly beat the egg and crumble the crustless white bread with your hands or in a food processor. Add both to the bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, allspice, baking soda, salt, and pepper.

Step 3

Mix thoroughly with your hands, at least 3-4 minutes. You can cover and refrigerate the mixture now and cook the meatballs a few hours later.

Step 4

Otherwise, form small meatballs, between 30 and 35 of them.

Step 5

Heat one tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron pan. Fry the meatballs on medium heat, in two batches, for about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to prevent them catching to the pan or becoming too dark. Turn the heat down slightly if you notice that the koftas are getting too dark before being cooked through.

Step 6

Check after 7-8 minutes by cutting one kofta in the middle.

Step 7

To fry the second batch of koftas, add the second tablespoon oil to the pan and repeat.

Step 8

To bake the meatballs preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 9

Place the meatballs on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 13-15 minutes until cooked through but not overcooked.