🧆 Içli köfte (kibbeh)
Içli köfte are oval shells of fine bulgur kneaded with spices, stuffed with minced beef cooked with onion and chopped walnuts, then deep-fried. The outside is crisp and nutty, the filling juicy and fragrant with spices. They are served hot as a meze or starter, often with lemon wedges.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g fine bulgur
- 250 g lean minced beef (for the shell, 100 g; filling, 150 g)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 50 g walnuts, chopped
- 1 tsp each cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper
- Oil for frying
Method
- Soak the bulgur in 300 ml hot water for 15 minutes, then knead it with 100 g of the beef, half the spices and salt into a smooth dough.
- For the filling, cook 150 g beef with the onion until browned, add the walnuts and remaining spices, and let it cool.
- Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls, hollow each with your finger, fill and close into a pointed oval.
- Deep-fry in hot oil for 4–5 minutes until golden and drain on paper.
How to make it lighter
- Bake them at 200 °C brushed with a little oil instead of deep-frying.
- Use lean beef and fewer walnuts in the filling.
- Have two or three with a large salad instead of a full plate.
History
Stuffed bulgur dumplings are made across southeastern Turkey and the Levant, where they are known as kibbeh; cities such as Gaziantep and Antakya have well-known local versions.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →