Peach Kofta, A Traditional Shirazi Cuisine

There are several types of “Kofta” among the Iranian cuisines, which have different recipes and tastes; depending upon the region in which it is made. Peach Kofta (meatball) is one of the favorite traditional Shirazi dishes the name of which is somewhat misleading because “peach” is not one of its ingredients and this name is only a reference to the shape of the Kofta!

Ingredients

Minced meat: 400 grams

Carrot: 300 grams

Chickpea flour: 4 tablespoons

Onions: two large ones

Brewed saffron: two tablespoons

Dry mint: one tablespoon

Lemon juice: two tablespoons

Sugar: one teaspoon

Prunes, raisins, walnuts, salt, black pepper, turmeric, and oil: according to taste

Recipe

Step one: Grate the onions and the carrots and squeeze them. Make sure attention to drain the carrot and onion juice well, otherwise, the koftas will lose shape.

Step two: Put the minced meat into a bowl, add the grated onions and carrots, and stir the mixture until it becomes smooth. Add chickpea flour along with salt, black pepper, and turmeric and continue stirring. You can even knead it by hand. You may need 10 minutes for this step. Continue kneading until the mixture takes a consistent and sticky shape.

Step three: Take a portion of the prepared mixture, the size of a peach, and spread it in the palm of your hand, add some raisins, walnuts, and seedless prunes in the middle and then turn it into the form of a ball. Press the ingredients well so that no air is left in the mixture, otherwise, the meatballs will fall apart during the process of cooking.

Step four: Heat a pan and pour four tablespoons of liquid oil into it. After the oil heats up, put the meatballs in the pan and fry them evenly. If the meatballs are not fried evenly, they may need a different time to cook, in the next step, and as a result, they may differ in shape.

Step five: Now you have to make the meatball sauce! Pour a little oil into the pot in which you want to cook the meatballs and add the rest of the grated onions. After roasting the onion, when it turns golden, add the dry mint and continue roasting. It is now time to add grated carrots. Try not to fry the mint and grated carrots for more than a minute, because mint does not need much frying. If you like, you can add raisins, walnuts, and prunes to this sauce.

Step six: After the ingredients are well mixed, add four glasses of boiling water and let the sauce boil on a low flame until it becomes thick. This step may take about an hour. After that, gently place the meatballs in the sauce. After a few minutes, add sugar and lemon juice and taste it and if needed, add other spices and other seasonings to it. Cook the meatballs in the sauce for some time until the food is ready to be served.

How to Serve the Peach Kofta

Serve the peach kofta with bread. You can use yogurt, green vegetables, and Shirazi salad along with it.

There are several types of “Kofta” among the Iranian cuisines, which have different recipes and tastes; depending upon the region in which it is made.