Basalla Recipe
Basalla is one of the most popular dishes of Adıyaman cuisine, which is both fascinating and festive. It is okay to generalize it as Adıyaman cuisine, but let's not forget that the basalla recipe is a recipe from the Besni district of Adıyaman.
Basalla is a very suitable dish for the general Turkish taste. It is surprising how it has not spread out of its region like Izmir kofte Kayseri mantısı or fellah kofte which is also made with bulgur balls until today.
Basalla dish is a main dish prepared by cooking lamb meat with chickpeas and bulgur balls prepared with fine bulgur and semolina in the form of a tomato paste pot meal. It is also a very tasty dish that does not need rice as a side dish because it contains bulgur, and a hearty menu can be created with an easy salad.
Can Bulgur Meatballs Frozen?
One of the most common questions I get in the dishes involving bulgur balls is whether it is possible to freeze the bulgur balls and whether it will cause problems while cooking it later. When you prepare the bulgur balls and freeze them, they can fall apart while cooking. To eliminate this risk, you can boil the bulgur meatballs after preparing them and let them cool so that they do not stick to each other, then freeze them again so that they do not stick to each other. In this way, since your bulgur meatballs are ready in advance, you can turn the dishes made with bulgur balls such as pea stew with bulgur kofte into practical meals.
In Basalla traditionally lamb meat is used, but if you don't have lamb or you don't like the taste, you can also use chopped veal in the same size.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 500 g of lamb meat, chopped,
- 1 cup dry chickpeas,
- 1 onion, chopped,
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste,
- 1 teaspoon of pepper paste,
- 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil,
- Salt,
- 1 teaspoon of dried mint.
For Bulgur Balls;
- 3/4 cup fine bulgur,
- 1/4 cup semolina,
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste,
- 1 cup of boiling water,
- Salt,
- 1 tablespoon of flour.
Preparation
- Soak chickpeas overnight,
- The next day, mix the bulgur, semolina, boiling water, salt and tomato paste in a sauce pan for the bulgur balls,
- Cover the lid and cook on low heat until the water is wholly absorbed,
- After it gets warm enough, add flour and knead well,
- Make hazelnut-sized balls from the mixture and place them on a floured tray,
- Heat the pressure cooker and add the meat and cook until the water drains and absorbs, stirring constantly,
- Add the oil and the onion and cook until the onion is soft,
- Add tomato paste and pepper paste and stir fry until it smells cooked,
- Add chickpeas and enough hot water to cover it, close the lid and cook until the meat and chickpeas are soft, according to the cooking time of your pot,
- Open the lid and add the bulgur meatballs and, if necessary, add a little boiling water and mix,
- Cook 10 minutes at medium heat.,
- Add salt and mint to your taste, mix and remove from heat.
Bon Appetit...