If you’ve never had crispy, golden içli köfte… this is your sign to make it.
Juicy beef and onion filling, crushed walnuts, and that perfect bulgur shell — golden, crispy, and full of comfort.
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if you’ve never had crispy oldish kef this is your sign to make it look at that filling rich juicy perfect six onions sauteed with beef pepper paste fat spices cooked low and slow and crushed walnuts for that crunch simple but essential for the shell bulgur semolina bular salt hot water let it soak add tomato paste pepper paste one egg and knead a bit of flour brings it all together shape into balls hollow them out fill them up and seal the edges smooth and tight like a lemon fry until golden and crisp that sizzle and it’s ready cut it open the steam the spice flavor pure comfort follow for more bold beautiful recipes just like this skept’s kitchen
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Crispy Golden İçli Köfte (Turkish Stuffed Bulgur Shells)
Juicy beef and onion filling, wrapped in a crispy shell — the ultimate comfort food.
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Ingredients
🧅 For the Filling:
• 400–500g minced beef
• 6 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp pepper paste
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1–2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• ½ tsp pul biber (or more to taste)
• ½ cup crushed walnuts (optional, but adds crunch)
🌾 For the Shell (Dough):
• 2 cups fine bulgur
• ½ cup semolina
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pul biber
• ~1½ cups hot water (just enough to soak and soften)
• 1 tbsp pepper paste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain flour (added gradually)
🧄 To Fry:
• Sunflower oil for deep frying
• Lemon wedges for serving
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Instructions
1. Make the Filling:
Sauté chopped onions in olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter until soft and golden.
Add the minced beef and cook until browned.
Stir in pepper paste, all spices, and pul biber. Let it simmer low and slow.
Add crushed walnuts at the end and let the filling cool completely.
2. Prepare the Shell Dough:
In a bowl, mix bulgur, semolina, salt, and pul biber.
Pour hot water over, stir, and cover for 10–15 minutes until softened.
Add tomato paste, pepper paste, and egg. Mix well and knead for 15 minutes.
Gradually add flour and knead again for another 10–15 minutes. Dough should be soft but firm enough to shape.
3. Shape & Fill:
Roll dough into balls. With wet fingers, shape into hollow shells.
Fill with cooled meat mixture and seal tightly, smoothing into a pointed oval (lemon) shape.
4. Fry:
Deep fry in hot sunflower oil until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
5. Serve:
Best served hot with a squeeze of lemon.
Optional: Serve with garlic yoghurt on the side.