Кufte — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Oversized meatballs of finely pounded beef mixed with bulgur and spices, boiled until tender, then served with a butter sauce. These Armenian dumplings are a labor of love that yields incredibly tender, silky results.

Ingredients

500g lean beef, very finely ground twice
1 cup fine bulgur
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
Ice water as needed
For filling: 1 onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp allspice
4 tbsp butter for serving sauce

Instructions

1 Soak fine bulgur in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess moisture.
2 Knead the twice-ground beef with soaked bulgur, grated onion, egg, salt, pepper, and cumin, adding ice water as needed to achieve a smooth, paste-like consistency.
3 Prepare the filling by sauteing diced onion in butter until golden, then mixing with chopped walnuts and allspice.
4 Take a handful of the meat-bulgur mixture, form into a ball, make a well in the center, add filling, and seal into a large oval shape.
5 Gently lower kufte into a large pot of salted simmering water. Cook for 25-30 minutes without boiling hard.
6 Remove with a slotted spoon. Serve topped with melted browned butter and a sprinkle of sumac.

Did You Know?

In Aleppo, Armenian kufte competitions were legendary, with families competing to see who could pound the meat the longest to achieve the smoothest, most velvety texture.