Kufteh: spicy Iranian meatballs recipe (کوفته )

oftas are a common dish throughout the Middle East and South Asia. The Arabic word for this dish is kafta' but I prefer to use the Persian kufteh (کوفته ), because I buy spices for mine in an Iranian shop. It is their flavour that makes all the difference in this balls of mince, rice and onions.

The recipe is simple, although, like in many Iranian dishes, time-consuming. To mae it worth my while, I cook a huge Creuset pot at a time and freeze leftovers to have for lunch when I start missing the taste.

1. Cook three cups of rice in two cups of water. The proportions may vary depending on the type of rice you use and also on the humidity/altitude of your place of domicile. The rule of thumb is that rice needs to come out on the dry side, so use about 2/3 of the amount of water that you would normally use.
2. While the rice is cooling down, peel and finely chop 6 large onions.
3. Mix 500 g (just over a pound) Tartare beef mince with the onions and rice. Add 2 beaten eggs, salt and spices. The choice of spices is really up to you: zaatar goes very well with this recipe
4.