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Koofteh Kermanshahi - Persian stuffed meatballs

Koofteh Kermanshahi - Persian stuffed meatballs

The meatballs are filled with dried apricots, walnuts, and raisins, and then simmered in a delectable sauce made with pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, and rice.

Course gluten-free, Main Dish, Meatballs
Cuisine iranian cuisine, iranian food, Kermanshahi Food, persian cuisine, Persian Food
Keyword Koofteh Kermanshahi - Persian stuffed meatballs
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 14 Stück
Author Labsalliebe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS FOR KOOFTEH KERMANSHAHI

  • 1 large red onion approx. 200 g
  • 400 g minced lamb
  • 400 g minced veal
  • 1 tbsp dried mint
  • 80 g chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • salt pepper

STUFFING INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g walnuts
  • 80 g raisins
  • 14 dried apricots

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

  • 1 red onion
  • 150 g rice
  • 60 g tomato paste
  • 90 g pomegranate molasses
  • 150 g dried apricots
  • 1 tbsp dried mint
  • Salt and sugar to taste

Instructions

PREPARATION OF KOOFTEH KERMANSHAHI

  1. Finely grate the onion into a large bowl and squeeze out the liquid. The grated onion must not contain any liquid.

  2. Add the minced meat, dried mint, chickpea flour, turmeric, salt and pepper and knead everything thoroughly for 10 – 15 minutes.

SHAPING THE KOOFTEH

  1. Remove tangerine-sized portions from the mixture, shape into balls and flatten.

  2. Place a dried apricot in the middle, add a walnut on top and place raisins around it.

  3. Shape the Koofteh into balls again to hide the stuffing. If necessary, add a bit of the minced meat mixture. Ensure that there are no holes in the meatballs, or else they will pop open when cooked.

LEAVE THE KOOFTEH TO REST

  1. Place the formed Kooftehs on a tray, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, or even better 2 hours.

PREPARE THE SAUCE

  1. In the meantime, add a little oil to the ELO casserole, dice the onion and fry. Add the washed rice and fry briefly. Add 1 liter of water and simmer.

  2. Heat a little oil in the ELO saucepan and briefly fry the dried mint until it starts to sizzle.

  3. Add the tomato paste and fry briefly.

  4. Then stir in the pomegranate molasses and mix well.

  5. Add this mixture to the rice and onions and mix well.

  6. Add the dried apricots to the sauce and season with salt and sugar. Simmer the sauce for 40 minutes until it reaches the desired consistency. Set aside.

FRYING KOOFTEH

  1. Remove the Koofteh from the fridge.

  2. Heat enough oil in a large pan and fry the Koofteh on all sides until golden brown.

ADD THE KOOFTEH TO THE SAUCE

  1. Carefully place the fried Koofteh in the sauce.

  2. Cook uncovered at medium heat for the first 15 minutes, then put the lid on and simmer for a further 30 minutes, reducing the heat slightly.

SERVING

  1. Serve the Koofteh in the sauce. I recommend enjoying the Koofteh warm and serving it with herb flatbread and herbs, especially basil.

Recipe Notes

The sauce thickens as it cools. If you have some left over, reheat the Koofteh in the sauce after it has cooled without adding any more liquid.