Here’s an authentic-style Tabriz Meatballs (Kufteh Tabrizi) 🇮🇷🥩 — famous Persian giant meatballs that are tender, aromatic, and packed with surprise fillings.
🇮🇷 Kufteh Tabrizi (Tabriz Meatballs)
Ingredients (serves 4–6)
Meatball Mixture
- 1 lb (450 g) ground meat
(traditionally beef or beef/lamb mix) - 1 cup split yellow peas, cooked and mashed
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 large onion, grated and squeezed dry
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1½ tsp salt
Filling (Traditional)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup dried barberries or raisins
- Optional: dried apricots or prunes
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups water or broth
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the sauce
- Heat oil in a wide pot.
- Sauté sliced onion until golden.
- Stir in tomato paste and turmeric; cook 1–2 minutes.
- Add water/broth and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
2️⃣ Make the meat mixture
- In a large bowl, combine ground meat, mashed peas, rice, grated onion, egg, herbs, and spices.
- Knead firmly 5–10 minutes until very smooth and sticky (important so meatballs don’t fall apart).
3️⃣ Shape & fill
- Take a large handful of mixture (about grapefruit-sized).
- Flatten in your palm, place filling in the center (egg, nuts, barberries).
- Carefully wrap and seal completely, smoothing the outside.
4️⃣ Cook
- Gently lower meatballs into simmering sauce.
- Spoon sauce over them.
- Cover partially and simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes, turning once very carefully.
5️⃣ Serve
- Spoon sauce over meatballs.
- Serve with flatbread, fresh herbs, and yogurt.
💡 Key Tips (Very Important!)
- Kneading well prevents breaking
- Low simmer only — boiling will split them
- Seal well so filling stays inside
- Wide pot so meatballs aren’t crowded
🌟 Variations
- Mini Kufteh: Make smaller meatballs (shorter cook time)
- No rice: Replace with breadcrumbs
- Saffron version: Add bloomed saffron to the sauce
- Vegetarian kufteh: Use lentils, potatoes, and walnuts
🍽️ Flavor Profile
- Savory, slightly sweet
- Warm spices (turmeric, cinnamon)
- Herbaceous and comforting
- Rich tomato-onion sauce
If you’d like, I can also give you:
- a simplified home-cook version,
- a stuffing-free weekday version, or
- a step-by-step Persian grandma method
Just tell me 😊
