Sini Koftesi Recipe
One of the recipes that will appeal to guests' tables in Ramadan is Sini Koftesi. Literal translation would be "meatball on tray". It is also known as "Kibbeh bil Sanieh" in Lebanese. It is a life saver for those who love kibbeh but don't want to eat fried meat, don't want to deal with frying or can't manage to fill stuffed meatballs. Although kibbeh and this one are one of the traditional flavors of Turkish cuisine for us, they are also a dish made with different names in many Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Arabia. Even though the shape and the materials inside it change a little bit, you will recognize it when you see it.
Tips for Sini Koftesi Recipe
If you have a plan to host guests for iftar at the weekend, you can consider adding this to your menu. I have a suggestion about the menu. Since it contains both bulgur and potatoes, I think if there is sini koftesi on the menu, it should not be rice or pasta. Instead, decorate your table with olive oil and salad varieties.
Let me give you a tip that will make your job easier. If you prepare the recipe a day in advance, the taste will not be the same the next day, it will dry out etc. However, you can prepare both the bulgur and minced meat one day in advance, store them in the refrigerator and put them in the oven on the day of service.
Do not keep the it in the oven too long. When you put it in the oven, there is nothing that needs to be cooked in it, all the ingredients are already cooked. It is baked only so that both the inner mortar and the outer mortar are combined with each other and the top is slightly crispy. Overcooking it will not make it crispy like kibbeh. It dries up and hardens more. It takes an average of 30 minutes in my oven. it's enough. But I always say, and I will remind you again that cooking times vary greatly from oven to oven. So don't set your watch for 30 minutes and leave it alone, check it often. Take it out of the oven when it is lightly browned and crispy.
Enjoy the recipe...
Sini Koftesi Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups fine bulgur,
- 3 mid-sized potatoes,
- 1 heapful spoon of pepper paste,
- 1.5 cups boiling water,
- Salt to taste,
- Extra water to boil the potatoes.
For the stuffing;
- 1 large onion, chopped,
- 300 g of ground beef,
- 3 tbsps vegetable oil,
- 1/2 cups of ground walnuts,
- 1 handful of chopped parsley,
- Salt, pepper and cumin to taste.
Preparation
- For the stuffing heat oil in a large pan, add into the onions and cook until tender,
- Add ground beef and cook until it changes colour,
- Add salt, pepper, cumin, walnuts and pasrley, stir well and remove from heat,
- In a deep pan boil the potatoes until tender,
- Wash and draing the bulgur and take into a pan,
- Add 1,5 cups of water,
- Cover the lid and cook until tender in low heat,
- Mash or grate the potatoes,
- Add bulgur, pepper paste and salt into the mashed potatoes,
- Knead until well mixed,
- Greas a 22*22 cm baking dish,
- Take half of the bulgur mixture into the dish and spread evenly,
- Spread the beef mxture over,
- Make 4 pieces with the remaing bulgur mixture and press with your hands,
- Cover the top of the kibbeh as seen on the photo,
- Bake in a 190 C degrees pre-heated oven until golden on top (about 30 mins.).
Bon appetit...