Meatballs and kebabs
The defining feature of this stew is the size of the dumplings: they should be no larger than a chickpea, and the smaller they are, the better they hold together in the broth. The dumplings contain no meat; the meat goes into the broth. Pomegranate molasses provides the tang and is added at the very end; added earlier, the acid affects the bulgur starch and can cause the dumplings to fall apart.
Put the fine bulgur in a wide bowl, pour 200 ml of hot water over it, and stir. Cover and leave it to swell.
Add the flour and salt to the swollen bulgur and knead for 12 minutes. Squeeze a piece in your palm; if it holds its shape without crumbling, the mixture is ready.
Wet your hands, take chickpea-size pieces of the mixture, and roll them between your palms. Arrange them in a single layer with space between them on a floured tray.
Melt the butter in a pot and brown the lamb cubes on the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the hot water, chickpeas, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, until the meat is tender.
Add the dumplings by handfuls to the boiling broth, stirring as you add them. They should rise to the surface in about five to six minutes; boil for another 6 minutes after they rise. Turn off the heat, add the pomegranate molasses and dried mint, stir once, and cover the pot.
After soaking the bulgur in hot water, let it swell for 25 minutes. Keep the rolled dumplings spaced apart on a floured tray; piled on top of each other, they will stick and fall into the pot in clumps.
Nar ekşisini en sonda ekledim, erken atınca köfteler sertleşiyor.
Doğru, asit bulgurun şişmesini durduruyor. Nar ekşisi ocak kapanmadan iki üç dakika önce girmeli.
Bulguru sıcak suyla ıslatıp iyice dinlendirmek gerekiyor, acele edince harç elde tutmuyor.
Köfteleri nohut büyüklüğünde yuvarlamak saatler aldı ama irisi suda dağılıyor, ufak olması boşuna değil. Suyu kurarken salçayı tereyağında kavurup öyle açmak gerekiyor, doğrudan suya atınca salça dibe çöküp köftelerin altında yandı.
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