Beef Kofta With Hummus
Hummus is one of the flavors of Turkish cuisine that is not given enough importance in my eyes. I know it doesn't belong to Turkish cuisine, but I'll come to that subject soon.
Although it is in the appetizer category, a hummus lover can easily fill his stomach with a piece of bread and a plate of hummus. Of course, I am also in this group of hummus lovers. It's not that kind of liking, but mine is, I think I'm in love with hummus. That's why I have a sensitivity to hummus not being made well. I feel like hummus has been insulted when hummus is not given enough care, when hummus does not smell of tahini or a slight lemon flavor. I bet that anyone who eats a properly made hummus absolutely loves hummus. If someone doesn't like hummus, they must have eaten their first hummus from a sloppy preparation. If you haven't tried hummus before and didn't like it, I suggest you try it once again, from someone who is said to be doing well.
At the beginning of the article, I promised to talk about the origin of hummus. Hummus, like many Hatay-Antakya dishes, is a dish made in almost all countries in the Middle East and even in some African countries. Hummus means chickpea in Arabic. What we call hummus in Arabic is not hummus, they call it hummus bi tahini, that is, chickpeas with tahini.
Recently, I think the biggest effect of globalization has started to be seen in the kitchen after technology. As I said, if you look at hummus as it is made in all Middle Eastern countries, it is now made all over the world. Thanks to the internet, recipes are spreading rapidly around the world. A dish from a country in one part of the world can be enjoyed in a different country in another part of the world and even enter restaurant menus. Considering this trend, it is easy to see that the information about which food belongs to which culture will be erased in the near future.
Is it very important, but which food belongs where? It doesn't matter much in my opinion. For example, we do not know who invented many of the items we use, and we use them without question. We can come to the same level in terms of food in the future.
On the other hand, it is very important to know which food belongs where. For example, I'm going to visit a different country, one of the first things I research is what special food does it have, which food should not be returned without eating? It is possible to find almost any food all over the world, but every dish is best made in its homeland. For this reason, I think you should definitely add a food title to your touristic visits.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
For kofta;
- 400 g medium fat ground beef,
- 1 onion, grated,
- 1 egg,
- 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs,
- 1/2 tsp black pepper,
- 1/2 tsp cumin,
- Salt,
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying.
For hummus;
- 500 g of boiled chickpeas,
- 3 tablespoons tahini,
- Juice of 1/2 lemon,
- 1/2 cup of olive oil,
- 1/2 cup of water,
- 1/2 tsp cumin,
- 3 cloves of garlic,
- 1 tsp salt.
For garnish;
- 1 heaping spoon of butter,
- 1 tsp ground chili,
- 1 handful of chopped parsley.
Preparation
- For meatballs, mix grated onion, egg, bread crumbs, salt and spices in a deep bowl and knead until you get a homogeneous mixture,
- Make mid sized balls and flatten with your hand,
- Fry the oil in a large pan,
- Put your koftas in hot oil and fry both sides,
- While they are frying take the boiled chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water, olive oil, cumin, garlic and salt for humus into a food processor,
- Spread the mixture into the 4 service plates,
- Place the koftas on top,
- Melt the butter in a saucepan,
- Add ground chilli, mix and remove from the heat,
- Pour the sauce over koftas,
- Sprinkle chopped parsley over.
Bon Appetit...