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Turkish Chef

Chikofta — Raw Meatballs … not really coz they are vegan

Ingredients

  • 3 organic white or gold potatoes
  • 1 cup finely cracked bulgur wheat
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 1 tsp isot pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 clove of garlic — minced

Directions

Boil the potatoes until they are thoroughly cooked, peel them and cut them in small slices.

Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over the fine cracked bulgur wheat. Add the sliced potatoes, all of the spices, salt, garlic.

Knead the mixture for several minutes until the bulgur expands fully with the moisture from the water and potatoes. Taste the mixture and add more spices to your liking, the hotter the better — usually more isot pepper will do the trick.

Add olive oil as the final step.

Dip your hands in a bit of water every time to make rolls as in the picture above.

Served fresh with lemons.

Story

Where do I begin? Chikofta is a traditional ceremony dish of the southeastern part of Turkey. Friends and family gather around a trayful of ingredients making merry. A brave and strong lady or gentleman volunteers for the responsibility of kneading the mixture until it’s ready to be consumed -which coincides with the time the person’s arms are completely sore. The main reason for kneading for countless minutes or even over a couple of hours is to get the meat safe for consumption. That’s right, while the recipe above is completely vegetarian, the traditional chikofta is actually made with raw minced meat instead of the potatoes, hence the name raw meatballs, which is the translation of chikofta(çiğköfte) into English. It is believed that the body heat of the person and the friction from the kneading causes the meat to be thoroughly cooked over a long period of time. Believe what you will.

This recipe is merely my interpretation of the traditional chikofta that is safer to consume and almost equally great tasting. Honestly the major point of eating chikofta is to torture your hot-sensing tastebuds… contrary to popular belief, it’s a great feeling.