Turkish Meatballs

I learned to make this at a Turkish cooking class. Serve it with a variety of Middle Eastern dishes and feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste. What I've given is an absolute minimum, but when I make the meatballs I normally throw in extra cumin and sometimes chilli flakes. You can also make this with minced beef.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 18-24 meatballs

Ingredients

• 1  cup  dried Bulgar wheat
• 1  lb ground lamb
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 3  cloves garlic, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water
• 2  teaspoons cumin
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon allspice
• 1  egg
•  fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

1. Cook the bulgur by covering it with a cup of boiling water and letting it soak in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes.
2. Uncover and let cool for a few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients except the parsley in a mixing bowl.
4. Add in the cooled bulgur and use your hands to thoroughly mix everything together.
5. Roll them with your hands into balls around the same size as a golf ball and flatten them a little.
6. Now you can either bake them in a hot oven for around 10 minutes or fry them in hot oil until they are browned all over.
7. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.