About Turkish Meatballs

After kebap, Turkish meatballs aka “et köftesi” must be one of the most widely known Turkish dishes. Their fame is for a reason. They are tender, juicy and very tasty and from now on you can capture all of these qualities at home easily with this recipe.

Some Tips & Suggestion for Making Great Turkish Meatballs 

• Forearm, rib, neck and brisket are the best cuts for the best Turkish meatballs. 
• The mixture of 60% beef mince and %40 lamb mince gives a good result. But lamb has a distinct taste and smell. If you find it too heavy, you can bring down the lamb content to 30%, or make the meatballs fully from beef mince.
• For the moistest meatballs, you should use freshly ground meat with at least 20% fat content.
• Grating the onion will help the taste of the onion to be fully absorbed by the meat, therefore it will be more delicious. Remember to discard the excessive juice from the onion. Otherwise this will make the mixture doughy.
• Bread crumbs and eggs are both binding agents in meatballs. In this recipe as I use bread crumbs, there is no need for eggs. Eggs make the meat firmer.
• Baking soda makes meatballs soft and puffy but too much baking soda would make them taste bitter. So stick to the recipe measurements.
• You can substitute lemon juice with vinegar.
• If you don’t have milk, you can substitute it with water.

• After kneading thoroughly, resting the ground meat mixture in the fridge over night will enhance the flavours of the meatballs and it will be much easier to give shape to the meat mixture. If you don’t have that much time, try to rest it for a couple of hours.
• I sometimes use an ice-cream scoop to make each meatball in equal size.
• For the best results, cook the meatballs on the hob using a cast iron skillet or cast iron pan. Alternatively you can cook them on a barbecue or under the grill. To cook them under the grill, make sure you heat the grill fully first and then cook the meatballs at a medium temperature for about 10 minutes on each side or until they are thoroughly cooked. The meatballs keep their round shape really well under the grill. If you are cooking them on the barbecue, turn them regularly to lock the juices inside.
• The right temperature is crucial for juicy meatballs. If the heat is too high, the outside will fry rapidly but the inside won’t cook properly. If the heat is too low, all the juices from the fat will run out and make the meatballs dry. The aim is to try to keep the juices inside the meatballs as much as possible.
• Meatballs are best enjoyed when they are hot. So finish off preparing all the other dishes before you start cooking them.
• For a ready-made weekday meal, you can freeze some of the uncooked meatballs in your freezer, layering cling film in between them in airtight containers, so they don’t stick together. You can thaw them one day before you are ready to eat and cook according to below instructions.

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do. Afiyet olsun!

Ingredients

• 2 garlic, crushed
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 7 turns black pepper mill
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp thyme or oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for brushing

Goes Well With

• Red Onion Salad
• Pasta
• Rice Pilaf
• Acılı Ezme (Turkish Spicy Salsa)
• Lavash Bread

Notes