Kyufta

Ingredients

The paste

• 1.2 kgvery lean beef, ideally topside or fillet, every scrap of sinew and fat removed, chilled almost to freezing
• 1large onion, grated, the juice squeezed out and kept, the pulp discarded
• 2eggs
• 250 mlice water, with ice cubes in it
• 3 tspfine salt
• 1 tspwhite pepper
• ½ tspground allspice
• 2 tbspbrandy, optional and traditional in some houses

Poaching

• 4 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 2 tspsalt

To serve

• 120 gmelted butter
• coarse salt
• lavash
• raw onion and herbs, or a spoon of matsun

Directions

1. Trim the meat ruthlessly. Any fat or sinew left in will show as a grey streak and stop the paste from setting smooth; this trimming is half the work.
2. Cut the chilled meat into strips and pound it on a stone slab or in a heavy wooden bowl with a wooden mallet, traditionally by two people taking turns, for 30 to 40 minutes, until it becomes a pale, elastic paste with no fibres visible.
3. Add the salt early in the pounding and keep going; the salt draws out the myosin that turns the meat into a smooth, springy emulsion.
4. Work in the onion juice, eggs, pepper, allspice and brandy, then beat in the ice water 50 ml at a time, waiting until each addition is fully absorbed. The paste should end up glossy, very pale and soft enough to fall slowly from a spoon.
5. Keep everything cold throughout, resting the bowl over ice if needed. If the paste warms it breaks, and there is no fixing it.
6. Wet your hands, shape the paste into one large ball or two, about the size of a melon, smoothing the surface completely so there are no cracks.
7. Lower it into water held at 85 to 90°C (195°F) with the onion and salt, and poach uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, never letting it boil. It rises to the surface and is done when it feels firm and springy and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Lift it out carefully on a slotted spoon, rest 5 minutes, cut into thick slices at the table, pour over plenty of melted butter and serve hot with lavash and coarse salt.

Technique

• This is Armenian kyufta in the Echmiadzin and Vanadzor sense: a boiled, pounded meat paste, close to a quenelle, and quite different from the fried and grilled kofte of neighbouring cuisines. It is a wedding and celebration dish.
• It is made with a mallet on a stone because a mincer cuts the fibres, while pounding stretches and aligns them. A food processor comes close if you work in short bursts and keep everything below 10°C (50°F).
• The ice water is not padding; it is what makes the finished kyufta tender rather than rubbery, and a good one absorbs a surprising amount.
• Test before committing: poach a walnut-sized piece for 5 minutes. If it holds together and is springy, the whole ball will work. If it falls apart, beat in another egg.

Substitutions

• No stone or mallet: mince the meat three times through the finest plate, then process it in batches with the ice water, keeping the bowl in the freezer between bursts.

Variations

• Fried kyufta, shaped into small ovals and shallow-fried, is the everyday version.
• A stuffed version encloses fried onion, walnuts and butter in the centre before poaching.

History

The Vagharshapat style is beaten to a smooth paste with wooden mallets, then poached as one enormous ball.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kyufta?

Kyufta is a main from Armenia: pounded beef whipped smooth, boiled and sliced with butter. The Vagharshapat style is beaten to a smooth paste with wooden mallets, then poached as one enormous ball.

How long does Kyufta take to make?

Kyufta takes 1 hr 15 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Kyufta?

Yes, within limits. No stone or mallet: mince the meat three times through the finest plate, then process it in batches with the ice water, keeping the bowl in the freezer between bursts.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kyufta?

Lower it into water held at 85 to 90°C (195°F) with the onion and salt, and poach uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, never letting it boil. It rises to the surface and is done when it feels firm and springy and a skewer comes out clean.