Turkish Cig Kofte Recipe – Turkey Special
Cig kofte is one of the most popular street foods in Turkey, and for good reason! These bulgur patties are super tender, pack a punch of flavor and make the most delicious vegan wraps! Cig koftes are really easy to make at home and I’ve got you covered with substitutes for the Turkish ingredients.
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time40 min
- Total Time1 hr
Turkish Cig Kofte Ingredients :
- 200 gr minced meat (OPTIONAL)
- 2 1/2 cups extra fine brown bulgur
- 1 cup boiled water
- 1 bunch fresh flat parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1 medium size onion finely chopped
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 4 tbsp red pepper flakes finely crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp pepper paste
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 juice of half fresh lemon
How to Turkish Cig Kofte
Place the extra fine bulgur in a cup and pour the boiling water on it and close the top of the cup with kitchen towel and wait 5 minutes. (This will help the bulgur to get soften and you won’t need to knead long time).
Rinse the bulgur and place it together with the finely chopped onions, red pepper flakes and in a large round baking tray with 5-6 cm high sides. (Do not add spring onions and parsley leaves yet. We will add them later.)
Knead the mixture for 10 minutes with the base of your palm.
Add the minced meat (OPTIONAL), pepper paste, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, salt and continue to knead 20 minutes until the bulgur fully soften.
Add the finly chopped spring onions, pasley leaves and 2 tbsp vegetable oil and knead 10 minutes. (Adding few ice cubes helps the Çig Köfte mixture not to get dry. It helps it to stay moisturized during kneading).
The mixture is ready when it becomes a smooth paste form. Then, grab a walnut-sized lump of the mixture and squeeze softly in your palm to give the special Çig Köfte form.
Line up them on serving plate and serve with lettuce leaves aside. You can use lettuce leaves as a wrapper.
