Ishli kufta: bulgur shells with meat

Equipment

• Skillet
• mixing bowl
• wide poaching pot
• slotted spoon and thermometer.

Before you begin

US cup = 240 ml; tablespoon = 15 ml; teaspoon = 5 ml. Use listed gram weights for consistency; weights are raw or dry unless described as cooked or drained.

• Use finely minced lamb for the filling if desired. Keep the lean beef shell and cold shaping method.

Make it work

• Coarse bulgur cannot form a smooth shell. Use the finest grade and invest time in kneading rather than covering cracks with dry flour.

Ingredients

• 180 g / 6.3 oz Fine bulgur, shell
• 220 ml / 7.4 US fl oz Hot water, shell
• 180 g / 6.3 oz Lean ground beef, shell
• 40 g / 1.4 oz Fine semolina, shell
• 3/4 tsp / about 4.5 g Fine salt, shell
• 300 g / 10.6 oz Ground beef, filling
• 150 g / 5.3 oz Onion, finely diced
• 20 ml / 0.7 US fl oz Sunflower oil, filling
• 40 g / 1.4 oz Walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp / about 0.6 g Ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp / about 0.45 g Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp / about 3 g Fine salt, filling

Step-by-step method

1. Cook and cool filling
   Cook filling onion in oil 8 minutes. Add filling beef and break into tiny pieces. Cook until at least 71 C / 160 F and the pan is almost dry. Stir in nuts, spices and filling salt. Spread in a shallow bowl and cool completely before shaping.
2. Hydrate fine bulgur
   Pour measured hot water over shell bulgur, cover and rest 20 minutes. Cool to lukewarm. Add shell beef, semolina and shell salt. Knead firmly 10-12 minutes until the mixture becomes cohesive and can be pressed thin without crumbling.
3. Test the shell
   With damp hands, flatten a small piece. If it cracks badly, knead longer and add cold water a teaspoon at a time. Keep raw meat mixture chilled when pausing. Divide shell and filling into 12 portions each.
4. Make stuffed ovals
   Cup a shell portion in a damp palm. Press a hollow with the thumb, thinning walls to roughly 5 mm / 3/16 in. Add one filling portion, bring edges together and pinch firmly closed. Smooth into an oval, eliminating visible cracks. Do not overfill.
5. Poach a test piece
   Bring a wide pot of water to a very gentle simmer. Lower one kufta and cook 18-22 minutes, checking shell meat reaches 71 C / 160 F. If it breaks, repair cracks in remaining pieces and keep the water below a rolling boil.
6. Cook and serve
   Poach remaining kufta in uncrowded batches. Lift carefully with a slotted spoon, drain and rest 3 minutes. Cut one to show the thin cooked shell and crumbly filling. Keep raw and cooked trays separate.

Cook’s notes

Coarse bulgur cannot form a smooth shell. Use the finest grade and invest time in kneading rather than covering cracks with dry flour.

Storage & reheating

• Refrigerate promptly up to 3 days; reheat to 74 C / 165 F.

Allergens

Contains: Wheat, Walnuts.

Approximate nutrition

Per serving: 368 kcal · Protein 21 g · Carbohydrates 31 g · Fat 18 g.

Approximate per serving of the complete recipe. Brands, substitutions, cooking losses and portion sizes affect the figures.