Çığ köfte 

Çığ köfte is a traditional Turkish dish of raw meatballs. It originates from the southeastern region of Turkey, specifically from the province of Şanlıurfa. It is said that the dish was created when a group of nomadic tribesmen, known as the Yörüks, were traveling through the region centuries ago. The story goes that the Yörüks had no access to cooking utensils, so they ground raw meat, bulgur, and spices together to make çığ köfte. The name of the dish comes from the word çığ, meaning “raw” in Turkish. The traditional recipe for çığ köfte calls for ground beef, bulgur, onion, garlic, cumin, and pepper. The mixture is shaped into small balls and served with tomato sauce, lettuce, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It is often eaten as a snack or appetizer.

Ingredients 

3 cup fine bulgur

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sumac

1 teaspoon allspice

2 medium onions, pureed

2 medium tomatoes, pureed

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon pepper paste

1 cup warm water

100 ml olive oil

4 tablespoon isot pepper/Urfa biber

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 

1 lemon, juice only

2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Instruction

1. In a large bowl or a tray, combine bulgur, black pepper, cumin, sumac, allspice, pureed tomato, onion and garlic, tomato paste, pepper paste and water. Knead this mixture using your palms for about 2 minutes. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, isot pepper and red pepper flakes. 
3. Pour this mixture along with the lemon juice and pomegranate molasses over the bulgur mixture. Knead it until bulgur is softer and not crunchy at all. This might take 45-50 minutes.
4. Taste and add more salt if needed.
5. Add in finely chopped parsley.
6. Take about 2 tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and shape it by making your hand a fist. Wet your fingers or wear gloves when shaping çiğköfte so that it won’t stick.

NOTES

If you want to make it with meat:

Use 200g double ground lean beef.

Add it to the mixture after you knead bulgur with spices. Don’t add warm water when making çiğköfte with meat. Use a handful of ice instead