Beef kyufta

6 servings

90 minutes

Recipe from Sergey Navasartov, chef of the restaurant "Noev Kovcheg".

Energy value per serving

• Calories: 443.9
• Proteins: 34.8g
• Fats: 29.3g
• Carbohydrates: 8.6g

Ingredients

• Beef fillet: 1 kg
• Onion: 100 g
• Wheat flour: 50 g
• Chicken egg: 2 pc
• Milk: 55 ml
• Cognac: 20 ml
• Salt: 20 g
• Paprika: to taste

Cooking steps

1. First, slightly freeze the beef in the freezer. Place the meat in a food processor or cutter, add salt, and pour in about 1/3 cup of cold water.

   Required ingredients:

   • Beef fillet: 1 kg
   • Salt: 20 g

2. Start grinding the meat. After 2 minutes, open the lid and check for any visible sinews in the meat; if there are any, remove them.

3. Beat the meat for the third time, adding the same amount of water. By this point, the minced meat should have a very tender, sticky texture similar to soufflé. To achieve the perfect texture, it can be passed through a fine sieve. Store the minced meat in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, to let it rest.

4. Chop the onion very finely, literally the size of a grain of rice.

   Required ingredients:

   • Onion: 100 g

5. Add onion, beaten eggs, flour (better to sift it), milk, and cognac to the prepared minced meat. Mix well.

   Required ingredients:

   • Onion: 100 g
   • Chicken egg: 2 pieces
   • Wheat flour: 50 g
   • Milk: 55 ml
   • Cognac: 20 ml

6. Place the minced meat in a large bowl (the bigger it is, the easier it will be to work with). Start beating the minced meat by slapping it on all sides with your palm and gathering the mass to the center of the bowl. Beat the minced meat this way for about 10 minutes until you get a very sticky, completely homogeneous mass.

7. Place a bowl and a pot with cold water nearby. Wet your hands with water and form a ball from the minced meat, about 15-18 cm in diameter (large enough to fit in a man's palm). Drop it into the pot of cold water.

8. Moisten your hands again and shape all the meatballs this way. You can cook all the meatballs in one pot; they won't stick together, but the pot needs to be large enough. Place the pot with the meatballs over medium heat, cover it with a lid, and bring to a boil. Remove the lid and cook the meatballs for about 40 minutes.

9. Take out the meatball with a slotted spoon and cut it crosswise.

10. Transfer to a plate with lavash and pickles, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with paprika.

    Required ingredients:

    • Paprika:  to taste