Fried İçli Köfte Recipe (Turkish Stuffed Bulgur Dumplings) – Ingredients & How to Make
This içli köfte recipe is made with a savory minced-meat filling and a bulgur-based outer shell, then fried. Chilling and freezing the filling first makes shaping much easier and helps you keep the shell thin. Below you’ll find the ingredients and a clear how-to-make guide step by step.
Ingredients
1. For the filling
2. For the outer shell
3. For frying
Step-by-Step Method
Brown the meat
Heat a wide pan. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until it releases its juices and they evaporate.
Add fats and onion
Stir in the butter and olive oil. Add the drained onions and sauté until the onion is soft and the mixture smells cooked through.
Cook the pastes and season
Add pepper paste and tomato paste; cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in ground red pepper, red pepper flakes, black pepper, cumin, and salt.
Finish the filling and chill
Fold in the chopped walnuts and cook 1–2 minutes more, then turn off the heat. Add parsley and mix. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Shape and freeze the filling
Form the chilled filling into small oval logs. Place on a tray and freeze until solid; this helps you fill and seal more easily.
Soak the shell mixture
In a kneading bowl, combine fine bulgur, kitel bulgur, and semolina. Pour in the warm water to cover, mix, cover, and rest for 20 minutes.
Knead and adjust texture
Add pepper paste, egg, and salt, then start kneading. Add the flour. Gradually add warm water and knead until you get a smooth, paste-like dough that holds together.
Rest the dough
Cover and let the outer dough rest for 30 minutes. This makes shaping less sticky and more even.
Fill and seal
Keep your hands lightly wet. Take a piece of dough, open a cavity with your thumb, and thin the walls. Insert a frozen filling piece and seal the edges carefully.
Chill and fry
Before cooking, rest the shaped pieces in the refrigerator briefly. Heat oil in a deep pot and fry in batches, adding one by one and stirring gently. You can store extras in the freezer.