Small grilled Turkish köfte served on fried bread

Principiante

Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)

Name: Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 500 g Ground beef (or a beef-and-lamb mix), 15–20% fat; 1 Onion, grated; 2 cloves Garlic, grated; 1 slice Stale bread, crust off, soaked and squeezed dry; 1 Egg; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber); 1 tsp Dried oregano; 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Minced beef worked with grated onion, a little soaked bread and cumin until springy, shaped into small ovals and grilled or seared — the everyday Turkish meatball found at every grill and lunch table.

Fuente

Receta de Refika Birgül · 👨‍🍳 Chef · Istanbul-based Turkish cook and food writer, host of the YouTube channel Refika's Kitchen

Los nombres de cocineros y creadores aparecen únicamente como crédito de la fuente. More Recipes Please es independiente y no está afiliada, respaldada ni patrocinada por ellos.

Refika Birgül · Refika's Kitchen (YouTube) — The source cited here is Refika Birgül's own köfte video on her YouTube channel Refika's Kitchen — a real, public recipe confirmed live through YouTube's oEmbed (author Refika's Kitchen). Köfte is the everyday Turkish minced-meat ball; the quantities and step wording in this entry are written for this book.

Cocinero: Refika Birgül

Watch it being made · 3 videos

Refika Birgül LifeWithFarida Turkish Food Travel

⏱ 40 min🍽 4 porciones🔥 330 kcal🇹🇷 Turquía🌶️

HalalSin lácteos

Pasos

Put everything in a bowl and knead it hard for 3–4 minutes, longer than feels necessary, until the mixture is smooth, sticky and springs back when pressed.
💡 That long kneading is the whole secret — it develops the meat proteins so the köfte holds together without falling apart.
Cover and rest the mixture in the fridge for 20–30 minutes. Resting relaxes it and lets the flavours settle.
With wet hands, pinch off walnut-size pieces and roll each into a small oval, then flatten slightly so they cook evenly.
Grill on a hot ridged pan, barbecue or heavy frying pan for about 3–4 minutes a side, until deeply browned outside and just cooked through.
💡 Do not press them down with the spatula while they cook — you squeeze the juices straight out.
Rest for a couple of minutes, then serve with flatbread, sliced raw onion, tomatoes and a green salad.

💡 Consejos

Fry one small test köfte first, taste it, and adjust the salt and cumin before shaping the rest.
The same mixture, rested overnight, grills even better the next day — köfte improves with a rest.