Saed News: Stay with us as we explore one of the most delicious traditional dishes of Shiraz, prepared in the beloved grandmother's style.
Saed News Report:How to Prepare Shirazi Herb Meatballs (Kofteh Sabzi): A Delicious Traditional Dish with a Flavor That Could Be Smelled from Seven Alleys Away – Grandma's Recipe
Ingredients for Shirazi Herb Meatballs:
Onion or prepared fried onion
300g of chickpeas or peas (we use chickpeas)
1 kg or 5 cups of cracked rice (preferably Tarom or Kamfirouzi variety)
500g of ground meat (optional)
1 kg of mixed herbs for the meatballs (such as leek, parsley, tarragon, dill, basil)
For the filling: raisins, dried plums (prunes), fried onion, and walnuts (as needed)
Spices: 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black or red pepper, 2 tsp turmeric
Instructions for Preparing Shirazi Herb Meatballs:
Soak chickpeas or peas overnight to reduce bloating, and change the water at least three times.
Soak the cracked rice for at least two hours.
Clean and wash the herbs, then place them in a strainer to remove excess water. Chop the herbs coarsely, as there is no need to finely chop them because they will be mixed with the other ingredients and passed through a meat grinder.
Drain the rice and chickpeas thoroughly to remove excess water. This is an important step to ensure there is no extra moisture in the ingredients.
Prepare fried onions by slicing onions and frying them in oil until golden. After frying, place the onions on a wire rack to drain the excess oil.
Mix the chickpeas, rice, herbs, and ground meat (if using) together, then grind the mixture through a meat grinder (grinding twice is ideal to make the mixture finer).
Add the spices (salt, pepper, and turmeric) to the mixture, then knead the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes sticky and well-combined.
Take a portion of the mixture (about the size of an orange) and stuff it with fried onions, walnuts, raisins, or dried plums. Roll it into a ball shape, making sure the filling is completely covered.
Important Note: Before forming all the meatballs, reserve a small portion of the mixture for the soup.
Preparing Shirazi Herb Meatball Soup:
Before forming the meatballs, bring some water to a boil in a large pot. The water should be enough to cover the meatballs completely.
Add some fried onions, oil, salt, and a small amount of turmeric to the boiling water, then add the reserved mixture (the filling ingredients) to the soup.
Once the water is boiling, test one meatball by dropping it in the soup. If it doesn’t fall apart, gently add the rest of the meatballs to the pot.
Keep the heat high at first to allow the meatballs to cook, then reduce the heat after 20 minutes to simmer the soup for 1 to 2 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through.
To check if the meatballs are cooked, cut one in half with a spoon and test it.
If you have dried or fresh tarragon, sprinkle it on top of the soup for a wonderful flavor and aroma.
Pro Tips for Shirazi Herb Meatballs:
The meatballs should not be so hard that you can’t cut them with a knife, but they also should not be so soft that they break apart.
If a meatball you test falls apart, add 2 tablespoons of wheat flour. The exact amount will depend on how soft the mixture is, so adjust based on appearance.
If the mixture is too firm while kneading, you can add a tiny bit of oil and continue kneading. The meatball mixture should not stick to your hands.
If you follow all the steps carefully and the herbs are dry with no excess moisture, the meatballs should not fall apart.
If the amount of herbs exceeds the rice and the herbs have excess moisture, the meatballs may fall apart.
If you use too much rice, the meatballs will become too stiff. Properly balancing the ingredients is key to making perfect meatballs.
