As was stated
before, Persian folks tend to liberally use various types of herbs in many dishes. A friend's mom made these herb-packed Persian style meatballs in a dinner a while ago; meatballs with no additives other than aromatic herbs. The flavor profile was sure great; the meat, however, dry and overcooked. To develop a recipe for a moister version, I incorporated caramelized onions and granulated onion in the meat mixture. Granulated onion tends to act like bread crumbs and absorb the juices, caramelized onions provide such moisture. This was the best way to be loyal to the no-additive theme of the original dish. The result was amazingly moist; the flavor profile, the same.
Ingredients:
For meatballs:
1.1 Pounds (~500
gr) 80/20 ground beef, cold
2 Oz (~56 gr or
¾ cup) aromatic herb mixture (equal amounts of savory, tarragon, mint,
cilantro, and Chinese chives), finely chopped*
2 TBSP
granulated onions
1 TSP salt
½ TSP black
pepper, freshly ground
For the sauce:
1 TBSP tomato
paste
½ TSP turmeric
½ TSP cinnamon
1 lemon
* Finding fresh savory may be hard. You may therefore use the dried version which is easier to buy online. Use 1 TBSP of dried savory in its fresh counterpart's stead. Proportionally increase amounts of the other four herbs to the required 2 Oz.
Mix all the meatball ingredients and briefly knead, do not over-work. Form golf size meatballs.
Cook the meatballs in a preheated pan until all the sides are golden brown.
Add the caramelized onions, turmeric, cinnamon, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Add a 1/2 cup of water to bring all the flavors together. Cook until the meatballs are done and the sauce is thick.
Served with my Diablo flat bread (based on
this Sriracha/Cayenne bread)
Comments