Lamb And Bulgur Wheat Meatballs
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
For the rice
- ½ Cup Rice
- ¾ Cup Water
For the meat balls
- ¼ cup Medium grade bulgur wheat
- ¼ cup Finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground cardamom seeds
- ½ lb Ground lamb For less rich meatballs mix 1/4lb of ground lamb with a 1/4lb ground veal which is a leaner meat.
- 4 tbsp Coarsley chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper
For the hot yoghurt soup
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 1 cup Plain yoghurt (not Greek yoghurt which is too thick).
- 2 tsp Cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water White flour could also work but add enough water to make the flour mix runny.
- 2 tsp Dried crushed mint.
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
The rice - 15/20 min
- Start by steaming the rice as you would usually do, then it fluffed up and set aside.
The meatballs - 20 min
- While the rice is cooking, half-fill a small saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook the bulgur until the grains are tender (about 8-10 minutes). Drain in a sieve or colander and set aside until dry:
- In a large bowl add the ground meat, chopped onion, parsley, ground cumin, ground cardamom seeds, garlic, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and of pepper. Add the cooked bulgar wheat and using your hands (with gloves if necessary) mix well to combine.
- Divide the mix into 1” diameter meat balls.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the meatballs, turning them regularly, for eight to 10 minutes, until golden-brown all over. Set aside on kitchen towel. CHECK ON THE RICE
The hot yoghurt soup -10 min
- In a small saucepan, add broth, juice of one lemon, a crushed garlic clove and bring to a simmer. Whisk cornstarch until mixture thickens slightly.
- Turn heat down to low and add a cup of yogurt. Whisk until yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let mixture boil otherwise the yoghurt will curdle.
- Add dried mint and salt to taste.
- Return meat balls to the hot yoghurt soup and cook on a low heat for 1-2 minutes to warm them up.
- Serve in a large serving bowl or in individual bowls. Garnish with shredded fresh mint and nuts ( optional - toasted pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts) with steamed rice on the side. Add as much rice to the soup as you wish to give it a little substance.
Notes
If you wish, you can prep and roll the meatballs well in advance; that way you can have the whole dish ready and on the table within 15 minutes later in the day.
Nutrition
Calories: 649kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 29gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 566mgPotassium: 711mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 139IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 210mgIron: 4mg
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