Cig kofte

Ingredients

Base

• 500 gfine bulgur
• 300 mlhot water

Seasoning

• 4 tbspisot or Urfa pepper flakes
• 3 tbspred pepper paste
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1onion, grated
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspolive oil

To finish

• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 bunchparsley, chopped
• 4spring onions, sliced

To serve

• lettuce leaves
• lemon wedges
• pomegranate molasses

Directions

1. Put the bulgur in a wide bowl, pour the hot water over it, cover, and leave for 30 minutes until fully softened.
2. Add the pepper paste, tomato paste, isot, cumin, black pepper and salt.
3. Now knead it. Work it with the heel of your hand, pressing and folding, for at least 40 minutes.
4. That kneading is the entire dish. It breaks the bulgur down and binds it into one smooth mass, and it cannot be done in a machine or meaningfully shortened. In Şanlıurfa several people take turns at it.
5. Add the grated onion and garlic partway through the kneading, and the olive oil towards the end.
6. Keep wetting your hand with a little water as you work, which stops it sticking and helps it come together.
7. It is ready when a pinch of it holds together cleanly and the surface looks smooth and glossy rather than grainy.
8. Fold in the chopped parsley and spring onion at the very end, and add the lemon juice last of all.
9. Squeeze portions in your closed fist so they take the imprint of your fingers, which is the traditional shape and the reason it looks the way it does.
10. Serve in lettuce leaves with lemon wedges and pomegranate molasses.
11. This is the meatless version, which is what is sold commercially across Turkey. The traditional Şanlıurfa dish is kneaded with raw beef, and food safety rules ended its sale; that version is not given here.

Technique

• Forty minutes of kneading sounds absurd and is the actual requirement. Under-kneaded çiğ köfte is a bowl of wet bulgur.
• Isot is the smoky, almost black Urfa pepper, and it is what the dish tastes of. Ordinary chilli flakes make something quite different.
• It is eaten with the hands, wrapped in lettuce, and traditionally with a glass of şalgam alongside.

Substitutions

• Aleppo pepper in place of isot, which is brighter and less smoky.
• Fine bulgur is essential; coarse bulgur will never break down.

Variations

• With walnuts kneaded in, which is done in some regions.
• Rolled in lettuce with a squeeze of lemon as a wrap.
• Served with şalgam, the sour turnip juice, which is the standard pairing.

History

Şanlıurfa speciality kneaded for hours with bulgur and pepper paste; health rules pushed the commercial street version to meatless recipes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cig kofte?

Cig kofte is a street food from Turkey: spicy kneaded bulgur with pepper paste, served in lettuce with lemon. Şanlıurfa speciality kneaded for hours with bulgur and pepper paste; health rules pushed the commercial street version to meatless recipes.

How long does Cig kofte take to make?

Cig kofte takes 1 hr 30 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Cig kofte?

Yes, within limits. Aleppo pepper in place of isot, which is brighter and less smoky. Fine bulgur is essential; coarse bulgur will never break down.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cig kofte?

That kneading is the entire dish. It breaks the bulgur down and binds it into one smooth mass, and it cannot be done in a machine or meaningfully shortened. In Şanlıurfa several people take turns at it.