“Kofteh is a showstopper dish,” says Cody Ma, who, along with his partner Misha Sesar, runs Persian all-day café Azizam, one of our Best New Restaurants of 2024. “It's seen as a feat, especially for larger parties; you hardly ever see it at a restaurant in the US.” At Azizam, Ma and Sesar serve a version of these hearty fruit-and-nut-stuffed balls of beef and grains inspired by the kofteh their grandmothers made growing up—served individually in a pool of sauce and topped with barberries.
Because the mixture of ground beef, basmati rice, and parcooked split peas is particularly tender, it can be a little tricky to form and stuff these oversized balls. At the restaurant, Ma and Sesar make a ball out of the dried fruit and walnut pieces to press into the center of the mixture, but if your fruit isn’t very sticky, it’s easier to add a scoop of the chopped fruit and the nut halves to the top of a flattened meat patty, then wrap the mixture around the filling. —Kendra Vaculin, test kitchen editor
Editor's Note: Lemon omani, also called dried black or Persian lime, is worth seeking out—for this recipe and other braises or stews. Boiled in salt brine, then dried in the sun, just 1 tsp. of ground limes packs a bunch of tart, earthy flavor.
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What you’ll need
Large Pot
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Medium Saucepan
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Dutch Oven
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Small Saucepan
$160 $146 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
3 hours
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°. Cook ¾ cup basmati rice, rinsed until water runs almost clear, in a large pot of boiling water (you are cooking it like pasta, so you want it to have plenty of room to cook and expand), stirring often to keep it from sticking to the bottom, until rice is almost completely tender but still with a slight bite in the center, 8–10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2
Place ¾ cup yellow split peas in a medium saucepan; pour in water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water is at a simmer and cook until split peas are tender but still maintain their shape, 30–40 minutes. Drain and add to bowl with rice.
Step 3
Meanwhile, combine ½ cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped, ½ cup dried prunes, coarsely chopped, and 1 Tbsp. dried barberries, rinsed, or dried currants, in a small bowl. (If any of your fruit is particularly dried out, soak in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes first. Drain before combining with the other dried fruit.)
Step 4
Heat 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 5–7 minutes. Add one 6-oz. can tomato paste; cook, stirring often, until deepened in color, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp. ground lemon omani, 1 tsp. ground turmeric, ½ tsp. freshly ground white pepper, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. dried mint and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so sauce is at a simmer; cook until thickened and darkened in color, 20–30 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, add 3 large eggs, 1 lb. ground beef, ½ cup finely chopped chives, ½ cup finely chopped parsley, ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped tarragon, 1 Tbsp. dried summer savory or oregano, ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, ½ small onion, coarsely grated, remaining 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and remaining 1½ tsp. dried mint to bowl with rice and split peas and mix to combine (be careful not to overmix; you want everything to be evenly combined, but mixture should not be tacky). Divide into 6 portions. Working one at a time, shape portions into patties. Gently press a scoop of dried fruit mixture and 2 walnut halves into the center and fold meat mixture up and over filling to enclose; gently press into a ball.
Step 6
Carefully place meatballs in sauce; cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise meatballs until cooked through and tender, about 1½ hours.
Step 7
Melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium. Add pinch of ground cinnamon, pinch of sugar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. dried barberries, rinsed, or dried currants (soak in hot water first if needed). Cook, swirling to coat, until fragrant, about 30 seconds; remove from heat.
Step 8
Spoon some sauce onto each plate; top with a meatball and scatter some cinnamon-sugar barberries over.
Recipe notes
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