Vegan Çiğ köfte

The vegan version of Çiğ köfte, a traditional Turkish dish, is made from bulgur or couscous.

Throughout Germany, there are many Turkish snack bars that sell it. Since we couldn’t find any here, I made it myself. It’s really easy to prepare and a perfect dish for summer.

Recipe

• 400 g couscous, or fine bulgur
• 400 ml water
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 small bunch of mint
• 3 spring onions
• 1 lemon, juice
• 6 tablespoons hot Turkish paprika paste
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tbsp. chili flakes
• 2 tsp. coriander powder
• 2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. salt

For the filling of the Dürüm patties:

• iceberg lettuce
• tomatoes, cucumber
• parsley, mint
• pomegranate syrup, optional

h3 preparation

Pour 400 ml boiling water over the couscous and let it stand for at least 5 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop the other ingredients and mix or puree directly with a blender. Add everything to the couscous and knead well with your hands until you get a uniform, sticky mass. Depending on the desired consistency, add a little more water.

Let it rest for a while. I prepared it the day before. Before serving press it directly into a typical sausage-like shape. This is best done by squeezing a little mass in the hand between your fingers so that the finger are visible.

Enjoy the Köfte rolled with some of the filling in Dürüm bread.