Soha’s koftet roz (Egyptian rice meatballs)

Try this popular Egyptian dish – spiced kofta meatballs in a tomato-based sauce – a version of a curry. It’s regarded as an epitome of Egyptian comfort food

Prep:30 mins
Cook:25 mins

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 574
fat 35g
saturates 10g
carbs 31g
sugars 0g
fibre 5g
protein 31g
salt 0.5g

Ingredients

1 large onion , grated
2 garlic cloves , crushed
50g parsley , finely chopped
50g coriander , finely chopped
40g dill , finely chopped
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp Arabic mixed spice , such as Arabic masala or baharat (gluten-free, if needed)
500g beef mince
100g ground rice
500ml sunflower oil , plus extra for moulding the meatballs and 2 tbsp for frying
cooked white rice , to serve
1 large garlic clove , crushed
1 tbsp tomato purée
500ml tomato passata

Method

Put the onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, most of the dill and the spices in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Tip the mixture into a bowl, add the beef mince and ground rice, and mix together using your hands until well-combined.
Oil your hands and shape the kofta mixture into either small meatballs or medium log shapes, weighing about 50g each.
Heat about 500ml sunflower oil in a large, deep frying pan until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 30 seconds. Deep-fry the kofta for a few minutes until crisp, making sure the kofta are always covered by the oil – they will continue cooking in the sauce later, so it's important to get a good golden colour. (You may need to fry in batches.) Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper using a slotted spoon and leave to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the garlic. Stir in the tomato purée for a couple of minutes, then pour in the passata and 500ml water. The sauce will look quite thin, but will thicken after adding the koftas. Season the sauce and bring to the boil.
Add the fried kofta, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 mins, turning the koftas overin the sauce halfway through, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the koftas are cooked through. Once cool, will keep frozen for two months. Defrost thoroughly and reheat until piping hot. Taste for seasoning, then sprinkle over the remaining dill. Serve hot with rice.