This Fellah Köftesi Recipe, also known as Turkish Bulgur Kofte, is made with tiny bulgur and semolina dumplings simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce. It's a vegetarian dish from the south of Turkey, where Adana, Mersin, and Hatay all claim it.
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Each dumpling is rolled by hand and dented with a fingertip, so the sauce has somewhere to sit. Shaping takes a bit of patience, but the work is easy and the rest is quick. One batch feeds 4 as a main, and the leftovers freeze well.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It's a hearty, budget-friendly dish made from pantry staples, and it feeds the whole family.
- The boiled dumplings are soft, closer to gnocchi than to a regular kofte.
- You can shape the dumplings up to 3 days ahead and make the sauce when you are ready to eat.
- One batch makes about 55 small dumplings.
- Similar to Mercimek Köfte (Turkish Lentil Balls), they are vegetarian and full of nutrition.
- Fellah Köftesi tastes even better when served with a dollop of yogurt (strongly suggested!).
What is the Origin of Fellah Köftesi?
Fellah köftesi comes from the south of Turkey. Adana, Mersin, and Hatay all claim it, and each cooks it a little differently.
In Adana it goes by another name: sarımsaklı köfte, the garlic kofte, after the garlicky sauce it's served in.
Fellah means farmer or peasant in Arabic, and the name fits. This is farmer's food, filling and made from cheap pantry staples. You'll see it written as fellah köftesi, fellah koftesi, and fellah köfte.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Bulgur Balls
- Bulgur - Use the finest grade you can find, sold in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops and online.
- Semolina - Fine semolina binds the mixture and gives the dumplings their bite.
- Flour - A few spoonfuls go into the mixture, and a little more for dusting the shaped dumplings.
- Onion - Grated finely so it melts into the mixture.
- Tomato paste - It gives the kofte their color and umami depth.
- Red pepper paste - It adds sweetness and gentle heat. I make my own Biber Salçası - Turkish Red Pepper Paste, and extra tomato paste works as a substitute.
- Spices - Adjust the amounts to your taste. Paprika, cayenne, or ground coriander all work here.
- Egg - It binds the mixture. A small egg or half a large one is enough.
Tomato Sauce
- Olive oil - Use a good one for the sauce. Butter works too.
- Garlic - Two large or three small cloves, grated or crushed to a paste.
- Tomatoes - Use ripe fresh tomatoes, grated into the sauce. Plum tomatoes work well.
How to Make Fellah Köftesi?
Prepare the Bulgur Kofte Mixture
Place the bulgur and semolina in a large bowl and add the hot water. Stir well using a spoon, cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) or a clean kitchen towel, and set it aside until it cools down.
Add 3 tablespoons (25 grams) of flour, tomato and pepper paste, egg, grated onions, salt, and cumin powder.
Knead well with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes, until it all comes together into a smooth mixture.
Fill a large pan with plenty of water, add a teaspoon of salt, and put it on medium heat to cook the koftes. Set a bowl of water aside and start shaping the mixture into small dumplings/koftes.
Shape the Dumplings
Take a small amount from the mixture and turn it into a small ball, the size of a walnut. Make sure you wet your hands to avoid the mixture sticking to your hands. Wet your finger and make a small indentation in the center of the ball.
Set it aside on a lightly floured tray or a large plate. Repeat the same with the rest of the bulgur mixture and give the tray a gentle shake to make sure they all are covered with flour.
When the water comes to a boil, add the dumplings carefully into the boiling water in batches, so the water keeps simmering. Cook them for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they start floating on the surface. Prepare the tomato sauce as the dumplings cook.
Prepare the Tomato Sauce
Heat a large pan or a wok on medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pepper paste and cook it for a few minutes.
Add the garlic, grated tomatoes, and spices to the pan.
Give the mixture a good stir, cover the pan, and cook it until the tomatoes are softened, for 6 to 7 minutes.
When the dumplings are cooked, transfer them into the wok with the tomato sauce using a slotted spoon.
Shake the pan until all the dumplings are covered with the sauce, or stir gently with a wooden spoon, to avoid breaking the dumplings. Transfer them to a serving plate and garnish with chopped parsley.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Use the finest bulgur you can find. Coarse bulgur doesn't bind, and the köfte fall apart in the water.
- Knead the mixture for a good 8 to 10 minutes. The kneading is what holds the dumplings together.
- If you have time, chill the shaped dumplings for 30 minutes before boiling. They hold their shape better.
- Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, and don't stir hard. Let the dumplings rise to the surface on their own.
- Flour the dumplings lightly before they go in, so they don't stick together.
- Add the dumplings to the water in batches so it never stops simmering. Tipping them all in at once drops the heat, and that is when they break up.
- Lift the dumplings out as soon as they float. They turn soggy if they sit in the water.
- Keep the boiling water. It makes a good base for a soup, or you can use a ladleful to loosen the sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Add some browned ground beef to the tomato sauce for a meatier version. Brown it in the olive oil before the pepper paste goes in, then carry on as written.
- Skip the egg and it becomes fully vegan. Plenty of traditional versions leave the egg out, and a long knead does the binding instead.
- For a different finish, stir a handful of cooked chickpeas into the sauce, or add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of dried mint at the end.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these tasty vegetarian dumplings as a main meal with a dollop of yogurt and a side salad such as Gavurdagi Salatasi (Turkish Tomato Walnut Salad), Greek Cucumber Salad, or Arugula Spinach Salad.
They work as an appetizer at a dinner party, and as a side dish for mains like Stuffed Eggplant (Karniyarik) and Oven Baked Shrimp (Karides Güveç).
In Hatay the yogurt comes with crushed garlic stirred through, and sumac and pul biber go over the top. They taste just as good at room temperature.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
You can shape the dumplings up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge until you're ready to boil them. The sauce keeps for 3 days in the fridge as well, so the whole dish can be ready to assemble.
Cooked leftovers keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and they freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat them gently in a pan with a splash of water so the sauce loosens up.
Recipe FAQs
Coarse bulgur or not enough kneading are the usual causes. Use the finest bulgur you can find, knead the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, and keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. Add the dumplings in batches so the water keeps simmering.
Yes. Many traditional versions have no egg at all, and the dish is vegan without it. Knead the mixture well and chill the shaped dumplings before boiling, so they hold together.
Fellah köfte is not gluten-free as it contains bulgur wheat, which is a form of wheat that contains gluten.
Related Recipes
For more Turkish Vegetarian Dishes why not try:
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this vegetarian bulgur kofte dish "Fellah Köftesi" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Fellah Köftesi
Ingredients
For Bulgur Kofte Mixture
- 1 cup finest grade bulgur
- ½ cup fine semolina
- 1 ⅓ cups hot water (330 ml)
- 3 tablespoon plain white flour / all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ tablespoon pepper paste
- 1 small egg
- 1 small onion (grated)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt (plus 1 teaspoon extra for cooking water)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ⅓ cup plain flour (for dusting)
For the Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoon good quality olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups tomato (blitzed or grated)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon pepper paste
- ½ teaspoon chili
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- chopped parsley (for garnish)
- 2 tablespoon yogurt (for serving, optional)
Instructions
Prepare the Bulgur Kofte Mixture
- Place the bulgur and semolina in a large bowl and add the hot water.
- Stir well using a spoon and cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) or a clean kitchen towel, set it aside until it cools down.
- Add 3 tablespoons (25 grams) of flour, tomato and pepper paste, egg, grated onions, salt and cumin powder.
- Knead well with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes, until it all comes together into a smooth mixture.
- Fill a large pan with plenty of water, add a teaspoon of salt and put it on medium heat for cooking the koftes.
Shape the Dumplings
- Set a bowl of water aside and start shaping the mixture into small dumplings/koftes.
- Take a small amount from the mixture and turn it into a small ball, the size of a walnut. Make sure you wet your hands to avoid the mixture sticking to your hands.
- Wet your finger and make a small indentation in the center of the ball. Set it aside on a lightly floured tray or a large plate.
- Repeat the same with the rest of the bulgur mixture and give the tray a gentle shake to make sure they all are covered with flour.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the dumplings carefully into the boiling water in batches, so the water keeps simmering.
- Cook them for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they start floating on the surface.
- Prepare the tomato sauce as the dumplings cook.
Prepare the Tomato Sauce
- Heat a large pan or a wok on medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the pepper paste and cook it for a few minutes before adding the garlic, grated tomatoes and spices.
- Give the mixture a good stir, cover the pan and cook it until the tomatoes are softened, for 6 to 7 minutes.
- When the dumplings are cooked, transfer them into the wok with the tomato sauce using a slotted spoon.
- Shake the pan until all the dumplings are covered with the sauce, or stir gently with a wooden spoon, to avoid breaking the dumplings.
- Transfer them on a serving plate and garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve with a dollop of yogurt (strongly suggested!).
Notes
- This recipe makes about 55 small dumplings, enough for 4 people as a main meal or 5 to 6 people as an appetizer or side dish.
- Use the finest bulgur you can find. Coarse bulgur makes the dumplings fall apart in the water.
- Knead the mixture well for 8 to 10 minutes. The kneading is what holds the dumplings together.
- Wet your hands when shaping the dumplings to stop the mixture sticking.
- For a meaty version, brown 250 g (9 oz) of ground beef in the olive oil before adding the pepper paste, then make the sauce as written.
- You can shape the dumplings up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge on a floured tray.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Add the dumplings to the boiling water in batches so the water never stops simmering.
- Lift them out as soon as they float. They turn soggy if they sit in the water.
Nilgun says
To store them in freezer do you cook them or just dtore them uncook?
Ayla Clulee says
Hi Nilgun, you can freeze either cooked or uncooked, and keep them for up to 3 months.
Melissa S says
bunları seviyorum! Harika tarif! These are so good and umami, you don’t miss the meat. teşekkürler.
Ayla Clulee says
Rica ederim Melissa, thank you for your nice comment!
Ayla
Nadine says
Amazingly Good! Will definitely making it again, thank you for the recipe.
Greg says
Have made them a couple of times now. Absolutely fabulous. Easy to follow. Simple menu and the the flavour was delicious! Thank you!
Stacy says
I made these and they were amazing. They froze so well, and I ate them with Greek Salad . I’ll definitely be making them again.
Samuel says
Excellent! Easy to follow and delicious!
Giles says
Wonderful recipe!
I made this for my vegetarian friend. I halved the recipe, I wish I didn’t! It went down really well, I will double the recipe next time and freeze some.