Kadınbudu köfte
Unique Turkish meatballs with an even more unique name: "Ladies' thighs".
The 19th century arrival of the meat grinder was a seminal event in Turkish food history. Minced meat was cheaper than regular cuts and quickly became popular among the general public and the Ottoman palace kitchen alike. The popularity of meatballs skyrocketed, and a number of new versions first saw light of day at this time. One of them had a strange name. Ladies’ thighs.
Kadınbudu köfte is possibly the most unique meatball dish of Turkish cuisine (and there are a lot of versions to choose from). Its name is said to come from being shaped like voluptuous ladies’ thighs. The dish was the favourite of many a sultan, so perhaps the harem played a role here, too. Something tells me it probably wouldn’t have gotten this name were it invented today, though. #metoo
The uniqueness of kadınbudu köfte doesn’t just come from its name, though.
A unique method
There are no eggs or breadcrumbs in kadınbudu köfte, but cooked rice. This makes the meatballs more crumbly, but also juicier. They’re therefore an excellent choice when you’ve got leftover rice.
Unusually, half of the meat is fried with onions before being shaped into meatballs with the remaining (raw) meat. Finally, they’re covered in flour and egg before frying, giving them a battered appearance quite unlike other forms of meatballs, where the browning of the meat is an important part of their flavour profile. Here, that’s taken care of by pre-frying half of the meat.
It may sound a little odd, but it really works!
Unusually, these steps make these meatballs delectable not just warm, but also at room temperature. They’re therefore great if you’re making ahead or feeding a crowd. Personally, though, I like them with mashed potato and a nice salad, for dinner.
Main course | Turkish kitchen | Serves 3