Turkish · Lunch · Dinner
Sour Meatball Soup with Egg-Lemon Broth
Ekşili Köfte
Tender little beef and rice meatballs simmered with carrots, potatoes and chickpeas, then finished with a silky, tangy egg and lemon broth. This comforting Turkish one-pot meal is light, warming and full of bright flavour.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 38% · Fat 36% · Protein 26%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 400 glean ground beef (90% lean)
- 3 tbsp40 gmedium-grain rice, rinsed
- 1 small70 gonion, finely grated
- 1/3 cup10 gfresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 tsp7 gsalt
- 1/2 tspground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp20 gall-purpose flour, for rolling
- 1 tbsp13 golive oil
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 6 cups1,500 gwater
- 2 medium120 gcarrots, diced
- 2 medium300 gpotatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup160 gchickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed
- 2 large34 gegg yolks
- 3 tbsp (about 1 lemon)45 glemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tspdried mint
- 1/2 tspTurkish red pepper flakes (pul biber) (optional)
Steps
- 1
In a bowl, combine the beef, rinsed rice, grated onion, parsley, 3/4 tsp of the salt and the black pepper.
- 2
Knead the mixture for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and sticky.
- 3
Roll the mixture into hazelnut-sized balls with lightly damp hands.
- 4
Spread the flour on a plate and roll the meatballs in it, shaking off the excess.
- 5
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute.
- 6
Pour in the water, add the remaining salt and bring to a boil.
- 7
Add the carrots and potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 8
Gently drop in the meatballs and the chickpeas, return to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the rice in the meatballs is tender and the meatballs reach 71 °C / 160 °F inside.
- 9
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice until smooth.
- 10
Slowly whisk 2 ladles of hot broth into the yolk mixture to temper it.
- 11
Take the pot off the heat and stir the tempered egg-lemon mixture into the soup; do not let it boil again or the eggs may curdle.
- 12
Stir in the dried mint, then ladle into bowls and sprinkle with red pepper flakes if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef for a milder meatball, simmering until the meatballs reach 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- Roll the meatballs in rice flour instead of all-purpose flour to avoid wheat in the soup.
- Swap the potatoes for diced zucchini, adding it with the meatballs so it doesn't turn mushy.
- Use bottled lemon juice if fresh lemons aren't handy, adding it a little at a time to taste.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently over low heat until steaming hot and stirring often so the egg-lemon broth doesn't curdle. Freezing isn't recommended because the egg-thickened broth and potatoes can turn grainy.
Make ahead
Shape and flour the meatballs up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, or dice the carrots and potatoes ahead and keep the potatoes covered in cold water. Add the egg-lemon mixture only when you're ready to serve.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenEggs
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (684 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 427 kcal | 62 kcal |
| Protein | 27.7 g | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40.8 g | 6 g |
| of which sugars | 5.2 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 5.9 g | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 16.8 g | 2.5 g |
| of which saturated | 5.4 g | 0.8 g |
| Sodium | 880 mg | 129 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
