İşli köfte (boiled bulgur shell dumplings with minced meat and walnut filling, Mersin)
Ingredients
- 250 gGround beef step 4
- 500 gGround beef step 1
- 750 gBulgur
- 150 gWheat flour
- 50 gPepper paste
- 220 gOnion
- 5 gGround black pepper
- 5 gGround cumin
- 60 gParsley
- 250 gWalnut
- 5 gGround cinnamon
- 5 gSalt
- 1,000 gWater
Grams are the real measure. Glasses and spoons are approximate and vary by ingredient. 1 Turkish glass is 200 ml.
Allergens
Allergen information is not complete yet.
Worked out from the ingredients. It does not cover contact in your kitchen.
Cross-section
- Water31%
- Bulgur23%
- Ground beef23%
- Walnut8%
- Onion 7%
- Wheat flour 5%
- Parsley 2%
- Pepper paste 2%
- Ground black pepper 0%
- Ground cinnamon 0%
- Ground cumin 0%
- Salt 0%
Ingredients by weight, heaviest at the bottom.
Method
Fry the medium-fat mince over low heat with very little water and add the finely chopped onion.
When the onions have fried a little, add black pepper, cinnamon and salt and keep frying; stir in the coarsely crushed walnuts.
Turn off the heat, add the finely chopped parsley and set the filling aside to cool.
Knead the fine bulgur with pepper paste, cumin and black pepper, adding water little by little; then add the lean mince and the flour and keep kneading.
Tear off a small piece of the mixture and toss it quickly into the kneading bowl; if it does not break apart, it is ready.
Pull off egg-sized pieces from the mixture, dip your hand in water now and then and hollow each piece out with thumb and forefinger.
Put some of the cooled filling inside and close it, turning it in your palm to give it an egg shape.
Line the dumplings on a tray lightly sprinkled with flour without letting them touch, and shake the tray gently.
Salt boiling water and drop the dumplings in; the ones that rise to the surface are cooked. Serve hot.
Where this recipe comes from
From a published work: quantities come from Öktem, Ş., Turizm Sektöründe Standart Reçetelerin Önemi Kapsamında Bir Çalışma: Mersin Yöresel Yemekleri; the method is written in our own words.
- Öktem, Ş., Turizm Sektöründe Standart Reçetelerin Önemi Kapsamında Bir Çalışma: Mersin Yöresel YemekleriAccessed: November 4, 2026
Last changed: November 1, 2026