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Ishli kufta

Ishli Kufta (Armenian Stuffed Meatballs)

A classic Armenian dish — a delicious two-layer meat croquette! Ishli kufta is a meatball with a surprise inside: a rich meat filling wrapped in a shell of a different kind of meat, so the finished croquette — traditionally shaped like a lemon — comes out in two distinct layers. It's a festive dish, made for the New Year's table or other celebrations. A proper ishli kufta should have thin walls and a rich, juicy filling, with the two layers clearly visible when you cut it open. I'll be honest: while the recipe didn't strike me as difficult and nothing went obviously wrong, the layers in my finished croquette sort of blended together — even though the shell and the filling clearly tasted different. My guess is the bulgur I used was too coarse; I should have ground it or run it through a meat grinder first, but I only realized that once the dish was done. Ah well — here's my version anyway, because the ishli kufta came out juicy, fragrant, and tasty, even if it wasn't quite textbook-perfect in looks!

Olga

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Lean ground beef

500

Bulgur

Egg

Paprika

Salt

Ground black pepper

Salt

Ground black pepper

Ground beef (fatty)

500

Walnuts (shelled)

Onions

Sunflower oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 11 g

Fats 54 % 22 g

Carbohydrates 20 % 8 g

282 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

The ingredients.
Step 2:

First, make the shell. Pour boiling water over the bulgur and let it stand for 8–10 minutes.
Step 3:

Drain the bulgur in a sieve — it should be only partly cooked. (From experience, it's best to run the softened bulgur through a meat grinder or grind it some other way.)
Step 4:

In a bowl, combine the lean ground beef, softened bulgur, egg, salt, black pepper, and paprika.
Step 5:

Knead the mixture until smooth — it should be slightly sticky and pliable. While you make the filling, the meat "dough" can rest in the fridge.
Step 6:

Now make the filling. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet until golden, then chop with a knife and crush lightly with a rolling pin — not too fine; you want some texture.
Step 7:

Peel the onions and chop them very finely.
Step 8:

Heat the sunflower oil in a skillet. Sauté the onion and the fatty ground beef, breaking up any clumps.
Step 9:

Once the meat is fully cooked, stir in the walnuts, salt, and pepper. Let the filling cool completely.
Step 10:

Start forming the ishli kufta. Take about 1 tablespoon of the bulgur-meat mixture, roll it into a ball, set it in your left palm, and use the fingers of your right hand to press it into a disk about 1/5 inch (5 mm) thick. Keep it even, with no holes or thick spots.
Step 11:

Place about 2 teaspoons of the walnut-meat filling in the center of the disk.
Step 12:

Pinch the edges closed, shaping the croquette into a lemon shape. Chill the formed croquettes for half an hour. Meanwhile, bring about 4 cups (1 L) of water to a boil in a large pot.
Step 13:

Gently poach the chilled croquettes over low heat, no more than 3 at a time. About 3 minutes is enough — the filling is already cooked, so you just need to steam the outer meat shell through. Then heat some oil in a skillet and fry the poached croquettes on both sides until golden brown.
Step 14:

Serve the ishli kufta hot with lettuce leaves and lemon slices. Traditionally you squeeze the lemon juice right over the croquettes at the table.