Sini Kufta
Սինի քյուֆթա·(see-nee kyoof-tah)
Grandmothers' Hands (Sunday Suppers & Weekend Projects)
Making individual stuffed kuftas is a labor of love that will easily eat up an entire afternoon. Sini Kufta is the brilliant, weeknight-friendly workaround. You take the exact same ingredients—a crispy, spiced bulgur shell and a rich, buttery walnut and meat filling—and layer them in a baking dish. The result is a stunning, diamond-scored savory pie that tastes exactly like the ones served in the homeland. The real grandmother secrets here? Keep a bowl of ice water nearby so your hands don't melt the fat in the dough, and use parchment paper to effortlessly roll out the top layer. Simple, smart, and profoundly good.
Before you start
Prepare the filling up to two days in advance.
Sauté the diced onions in olive oil until deeply softened, brown the ground beef or lamb, then stir in the walnuts, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, and salt before letting it cool completely.
Hydrate the bulgur.
Pour the boiling water over the fine bulgur in a large bowl, cover tightly, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Ingredients
- fine bulgur1 1/2 cup
- boiling water1 cup
- lean ground beef1 lb
- yellow onion1 small
- red pepper paste2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- ground cumin1/2 tsp
- ice water1 med bowl
- ground beef or lamb1 lb
- olive oil2 tbsp
- yellow onions2 large
- walnuts1/2 cup
- ground allspice1 tsp
- ground cinnamon1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- fresh flat leaf parsley1/4 cup
- unsalted butter1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Process the meat for the shell into a tight paste.
Throw the lean ground beef, grated onion, red pepper paste, cumin, and salt into a food processor and pulse until it transforms from loose meat into a smooth, sticky paste.
- 02
Knead the dough using the ice water secret.
Combine the meat paste with the hydrated bulgur and, repeatedly dipping your hands into the bowl of ice water, knead for 5 minutes to keep the emulsion tight and prevent the fat from melting.
- 03
Build the bottom layer of the pie.
Press half of the dough evenly across the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish, smoothing it with ice-water-dipped fingers, then spread the cooled filling evenly over the top.
- 04
Roll out the top layer between parchment paper.
Place the remaining dough between two sheets of parchment paper, roll it into a rectangle the size of your pan, invert it directly over the filling, and peel off the backing paper.
- 05
Score the surface and baste with butter.
Using a knife repeatedly dipped in cold water, score the pie into a diamond pattern all the way through to the filling, then pour the melted butter evenly over the top so it seeps into the cuts.
- 06
Bake until deeply golden and crisp.
Bake at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes until the edges pull away from the pan, then let it rest for 15 minutes before serving with a bright salad and plain yogurt.
Notes
Sourcing the right bulgur is non-negotiable.
You must use number 1 fine bulgur for the shell to absorb moisture properly within the short window; coarser grinds will leave you with a crumbly, dry mess that falls apart.
Keep the filling completely cool before assembly.
A warm filling will melt the fat in the raw meat dough during assembly, ruining the texture of your top layer.
From Cook Armenian in America.