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One of the lo~ved Iranian/Persian dishes which one will not find on a big event table is
kufteh-berenji [1]/rice-meatballs. It is more of a food that Moms cook for dinner at home. Thought to be a time-consuming, cumbersome dish, like kotlet and dolmeh, people are hoping for someone else to make it and be treated to.
The list of ingredients is not cast in stone. Within reason, some other spices and herbs may be added or some on the list omitted. Traditionally, Persian golden prunes (imported) are used for the center insert and sauce to add subtle sweet-and-sour effect. They are occasionally available in Middle Eastern grocery stores. I personally find dried, pitted apricots to be a better substitute. You may also use dried, pitted plums/prunes for the center only -not in the sauce-, as it darkens the sauce.
Another option is double the amount of hot water, lime juice, tomato paste, dried apricots, salt and pepper, to have a thinner sauce to be served as soup with the rice-meatballs, rather than thick sauce to pour over the rice-meatballs.
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[1] Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or dumpling. The word kofta is derived from the Persian/Iranian word kūfteh, meaning ‘to beat’. Meatballs/Kufteh come in various shapes in different cuisines around the world.
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Rice-Meatballs • Kufteh Berenji • کوفته برنجی
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• ½ cup ‘slow-cooking’ yellow-split-peas (Non ‘slow cook’ yellow split peas cook quickly and fall apart.)
• 1 cup basmati rice
• salt
• 454 g/ 1 lb ground meat (beef, veal, lamb, turkey)
• 340 g/ 12 oz/ 1 large onion (to be grated/pureed in a food-processor)
• 340 g/ 12 oz/ 1 large onion, manually chopped – or→ 6 Tbsp caramelized onion
• vegetable oil
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ¾ ~1 tsp ground cumin
• ¾ ~1 tsp curry powder
• ¾ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 3 cups (or a large bunch) parsley (use stems too)
• 1 cup (or a small bunch) cilantro (use stems too)
• 1 cup (8 large stems) green onion
• 1 Tbsp dried dill
• 1 Tbsp dried tarragon
• 3 eggs
• 12 pieces of dried, pitted apricots, each cut in half
• 4 cups boiling water for the sauce
• 1/8 tsp ground saffron, dissolved in 3 Tbsp hot water
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 bay-leaf
DIRECTIONS
◊ In a small sauce pan, combine rinsed yellow-split-peas, 1½ cups water, ½ tsp salt and bring to a boil on high-heat. Lower heat to medium (scoop off foam as it forms) and cook for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
◊ In a medium sauce pan, combine washed/rinsed basmati rice, 1½ cups water, ½ tsp salt, and on high-heat, bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, scoop any foam and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed (rice should not be fully cooked). Dish out and spread on a large plate and set aside to cool.
◊ While rice and split-peas are cooking…, in a food processor, in the following order, one-at-a-time:
– Almost puree 1 onion and empty in a small bowl,
– Make several cuts to stems of parsley and finely process and then add the leaves, pulse a few times and empty in a separate medium bowl,
– Make several cuts to stems of cilantro and finely process and then add the leaves and pulse a few times, empty in the same bowl as the chopped parsley, and
– Cut green onions in a couple of inch length and pulse a few times, empty in the same bowl with the other greens.
◊ If not wearing exam gloves until now, this is the time to wear them. (Spices will tint your cuticles, which of course, comes off after several washes.)
◊ In a large bowl, combine meat, pureed onion (just use the pulp and save the juice for later), turmeric, cumin, curry, pepper and knead for one minute and set aside. (Keep the gloves on and wash your hands.)
◊ In a large, deep, non-stick pot, about 30 cm/ 12″ diameter (room for one layer of up to 12 rice-meatballs) add 3 Tbsp oil and on medium-heat, caramelize the chopped onion. Turn off the heat and scoop out half of the caramelized onion in a small dish to cool.
◊ To the meat mixture, add garlic, parsley, cilantro, green onion, dill, tarragon, cooked rice, cooked split-peas, caramelized onion (which was set to cool), eggs, ½ tsp salt and knead for 7 minutes, until smooth mixture, paste consistency.
◊ Scoop handful of meat mixture, cupping your hands, squeeze/press, roll and shape meat mixture tightly into balls (size of a small orange). With index finger, push-in and open a hole to the center of the meatball and push in one cut piece of dried apricot into the center, close the hole, roll the meatballs tightly again and set on a large platter.
◊ To the pot with half of caramelized onion, add 4 cups hot water, lime juice, tomato paste, dissolved saffron, rest of the cut dried apricots, onion juice saved, 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste, bay-leaf and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low.
◊ Gently place prepared meatballs into simmering sauce, one-by-one. Increase heat to a boil. Then, immediately lower heat to medium-low again. Put lid on the pot and simmer for 60 minutes, basting meatballs every 20 minutes. Do not flip the meatballs.
◊ Dish out rice-meatballs onto a deep serving dish and pour sauce over meatballs.
◊ Serve with bread (preferably Persian bread such as lavash) and yogurt. Persian pickles/ torshi also complement very well.
◊ Option: This dish may be made a day in advance and warmed in microwave before serving.
~ Noushe jan • نوش جان ~
♪ I made double recipe ♪
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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Merci Fae jan for this lovely recipe. Being a koofteh fan I can never get enough.
Hello Simi jan, A belated response… thank you for your kind comment. I shall visit your blog and savor your recipes too.
Clever and cute li’l things. Now, thanks to you, I know how to make them!
Hi Coco, I love kufteh berenji a lot. I don’t make often, but I crave for them a lot. 😀 )))
Kufteh are the perfect fall dish, and thus the perfect dish for #Mehregan2014! I love that little bowl, btw.
Hello and Welcome Dear Sara! Thank you for your lovely comment. I will be visiting your blog very soon!
I’m crazy for any kind of meatball
Mmm…this looks so delicious. It does look like there are a lot of ingredients. But wow, I just love how yummy and healthy this is. And by the way…your photos are looking better and better. I miss you too. Thanks for coming by earlier.
These have such a great mix of ingredients. Yes, it looks like a lot of work, but I’m sure worth it. I think these would be a fun appetizer to make for a party – particularly since you could do them ahead.
Why do the rice balls in the top photo look dark although they don’t look like they have sauce on them. Does the sauce get absorbed into the rice balls?
Been out of pocket for a while, I knew I’d find some great things that I missed on your site.
– As for appetizer… even if you make them much smaller (these are tennis ball size) with rice dominating, they could be too filling.
– I have not covered the upper rice-balls with sauce yet. But you are right about that if you do not serve immediately, they do absorbe the sauce, which makes them more flavorful.
Just popped over to see what’s cooking. As usual I want to come to dinner. This looks utterly fab!!!
Oh Fae! These look amazing!! I will be making these meatballs for sure!
Hello Fae! Yes, you are right. There are various recipes around but the main ingredient of Italian rice balls is risotto. I’m glad you love them. I adore them too!!! I haven’t written any post about rice balls yet. Hopefully, I’ll do it in the winter. The weather is too torrid to even think about frying. The only thing is frying right now is … me! 😉
One of my fave dishes and yours look yum yum yummy – ready to be gobbled up! Delicious!
Ooh, these sound wonderful!
I love rice – meatballs. Your version is quite different from ours. It’s richer on terms of ingredients. Plus we fry them.
I thought making Italian rice balls was time consuming but making the Persian version is a love commitment! 😉
The look and must taste great, Fae.
someone else already said this but…. they look scrumptious and remind me of stuffed cabbage which my grandma made with sweet/ sour flavor, yummy!
These looks delicious:) When I lived in Turkey we had something like this:)
Wow! This looks great! Yum!
I’ve never had these before they sound and look wonderful. I’ll definitely have to make these.
What a truly appetizing rice & veggies balls. they look so mouthwatering & so do your pics! Ooh yes!
What can I substitute for the meat, Fae? Can I use potatoes?
– Meat being the binder of the ingredients into a ball cooked in a broth, I don’t think potato works. I wonder if rice and eggs will bind everything intact and do just fine w/o the meat?
– Kuften and dolmeh have very similar ingredients. Therefore, if you use these ingredients (w/o meat and eggs) and stuff them in eggplant, tomato or bell pepper or just make grape leave dolmeh, you will enjoy the same flavor and fragrance.
This looks INCREDIBLE. I love kufteh. The addition of fruit and lime juice with those earthy spices must make them out of this world! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
These are to die for! I have been interested in kufteh for a few weeks now. The list of herbs for these are so wonderful. I will report back after we have them for dinner! Thank you!
These look truly scrumptious! Oddly, as I haven’t had red meat in months, I’ve just bought (ground) beef mince to make chili. If I had’ve seen your recipe before this morning I would be in the process of making it. Another time!
– Whilst in Malta, several years ago, I tried one of their local specialities which are rice balls. Quite large, as in the size of a tennis ball. And served either warm or cold without sauce. Very nice. Not nearly as good as these
Oh my, I am drooling over this, never try any persian dish before. I wonder how long does it take you to make this dish? I run through the method and they seems to be quite challenging.
Yes… this is a time consuming dish (most Persian dishes are). I think it took over 2 hours to put it together, and another hour to cook. Having said that, though it has many steps and lots happening, but it is not that hard for a person who cooks a lot.
Wauw, they must be full of flavour! I didn’t have a clue how Persian Cuisine was like, but looking at this I would love it!!!Great Post!
Oh my oh my oh my …. the photos have set me drooling … and the only adjective I can come up with is: princely! There is something truly princely and bejeweled about Persian food. One of these days, in the not too distant future I hope, I am going to make a pilgrimage to the town you live in, and sign up for a week’s Persian culinary classes with you …!
– Oh my goodness, Jo! Pilgrimage? I love you! Coming from you, I am humbled. You are most welcome!
Sounds tasty!! 😀
Oh wow, Fae. Your kufteh sound wonderful! I had no idea you could stuff them with dried apricots or prunes! What a lovely idea! I recently made a very simplified version of kufteh (with tons of mint), nothing as elegant and elaborate as your recipe, and they were the best meatballs I ever made, but your version sounds simply fantastic! I am bookmarking it to try out in the future!
Amazing…..liking the recipe very much. Will try out someday for sure.