Köfte with Bulgur Pilaf & Yoghurt

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g minced beef, 5% fat
• 1 brown onion
• 20 g fresh parsley
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves
• 250 g bulgur wheat
• 2 tbsp tomato purée (30 g)
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250 g plain yoghurt (2 pots)
• 10 g fresh mint
• ½ lemon
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Grater
• Mixing bowl
• Saucepan with lid
• Large frying pan
• Bowl
• Knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel the onion and grate it on the coarse side of the grater, then squeeze it firmly in your hands over the sink to remove excess juice: otherwise the köfte will fall apart during cooking. Finely chop the parsley and 1 garlic clove.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the minced beef, grated onion, parsley, chopped garlic, cumin, 1 level tsp salt and some pepper. Knead with your hands for 2 minutes: the mixture should become slightly sticky, which is what holds it together.
3. With wet hands, shape 16 elongated sausages about 8 cm long (about 40 g each). Place them on a plate and keep them in the fridge while you make the pilaf: the cold firms them up.
4. For the pilaf, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bulgur and tomato purée and stir for 2 minutes to coat the grains well. Pour in 500 ml boiling water and crumble in the stock cube.
5. Cover and cook over a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and small holes appear on the surface. Turn off the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 5 minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the köfte for 8 to 10 minutes, in two batches if your pan is small, turning them often, until golden on all sides and firm to the touch, without pressing them down.
7. Make the sauce: finely chop the mint leaves and finely grate the second garlic clove. Mix them into the yoghurt with the juice of the half lemon, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Keep in the fridge until serving.
8. Fluff up the pilaf with a fork to separate the grains, then divide between the plates. Add 4 köfte per person and a generous spoonful of yoghurt and mint sauce.