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cig kofte on a plate with lettuce
5 from 4 votes

Cig Kofte

Cig kofte is one of the most popular and well-known Turkish dishes. They are small bulgur wheat "meatballs" (this recipe is vegan) that are traditionally served as an appetizer with lettuce leaves and lemon wedges. They are spicy, intensely flavored, and just perfect for anyone who loves Middle Eastern foods!
Prep Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Turkish
Keyword: cig kofte, Turkish appetizer, vegan cig kofte
Servings: 120 cig kofte
Calories: 33kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 cups köftelik/fine bulgur wheat
  • 2 cups hot water not boiling water
  • 1 cup Turkish "tatli" red pepper paste
  • 1 tablespoon Turkish pul biber/Aleppo pepper
  • 3 teaspoons Turkish Isot/Urfa biber
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 tomatoes finely diced, including the tomato juice
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 8 green onions finely sliced
  • 2 ¾ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup sunflower oil or any other neutral oil
  • (iceberg) lettuce, lemon wedges for serving
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Add the fine bulgur wheat to a very large mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over the bulgur and let it soak for 5 minutes. Don't worry if the bulgur isn't soft at this point, it will be perfect in the end.
  • Next, add the red pepper paste, pul biber, isot biber, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Knead with your hands until everything is combined.
  • Now add the tomatoes (including the tomato juice/water), garlic, and lemon juice. Knead again until everything is combined and there are no tomato chunks left.
  • Add the green onions, parsley, and sunflower oil. Knead one last time until everything is combined and the bulgur mixture is soft.
  • Now take some of the cig kofte bulgur mixture and shape it into cig kofte with your hands. It's usually done by having some of the bulgur in your hand and making a fist several times until you have a small sausage-like cig kofte.
  • Place the cig kofte on a large plate. Serve them with lettuce and lemon wedges. Wrap your cig kofte in a lettuce leaf and enjoy!

Notes

  • It is important to knead the bulgur mixture until it softens. It starts hard in the beginning and becomes soft and shapeable after it is kneaded long enough.
  • For more tips and information, I recommend checking out the post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cig kofte | Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg