If pepper paste is not possible to obtain then use tomato paste and add a pinch of cayenne or pul biber to your taste.
Ingredients
INNER CASING
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ kg onions, finely chopped, processed or grated then placed in a strainer for 20 minutes
½ kg minced beef, lamb or a mix of both (not lean, slighly fatty) drained for 20 minutes if thawed
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ cup chopped parsley
⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional) - do not chop too fine
1 flat Tbsp pepper paste (sweet or spicy - depends on your taste) or tomato paste
OUTER CASING
1 cup fine bulgur
½ cup semolina
¼ tsp salt
2 cups water
2 tsp pepper paste
1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
INNER CASING
Heat the oil and add the dry minced onions
Fry the onions in the oil until transparent and then add the meat
Fry the meat gently and let any liquid begin to evaporate
Add the walnuts if using, stir for a minute
Add the pepper or tomato paste and stir well for 2 minutes
Turn the heat down and add the remaining ingredients
Stir well and taste the mixture.
At this point adjust the seasonings according to your taste
Once all the liquid has evaporated from the meat turn off the heat
Empty the meat mixture into a strainer and leave it to completely cool and drain
OUTER CASING
Mix the 3 dry ingredients well together
Add the water, mix well and leave to completely soak it all up
hours later add the pepper paste and knead the mixture extremely well until the mixture becomes really soft and can easily be formed into shapes.
KOFTE
Knead the cold meat mixture and roll it into sausages about 8 cm long (3 inches)
CASING
Wet your hands well
Take handfuls of the mixture and form into a ball.
Push your index finger into the ball and form a casing
CREATING YOUR IÇLI KÖFTE
Take a meat ball and slide into the formed hole
Close the casing up gently and carefully roll the Içİi Köfte in your hands and form it into a pointy football shape
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry on all sides until golden all over or deep fry for around 2 minutes
These can also be dropped into boiling water and cooked or baked in an oven but is not as flavoursome as the frying options but definitely the healthier option.
Serve warm or cold
It is very nice to serve these with hummus or cacik
Recipe by Pantry Fun at https://pantryfun.com/icli-kofte/