Soha's Koftet Roz (Egyptian Rice Meatballs)

    30m prep time
    55m total time
    Easy level
    13 ingredients

Try this popular Egyptian dish – spiced kofta meatballs in a tomato-based sauce – a version of a curry. It's regarded as an epitome of Egyptian comfort food

Method

Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

Put the onion, half of the garlic, parsley, coriander, most of the dill and the ground spices in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Tip the mixture into a bowl, add the beef mince and ground rice, and mix together using your hands until well-combined.

Step 2

Oil your hands and shape the kofta mixture into either small meatballs or medium log shapes, weighing about 50g each.

Step 3

Heat most of the sunflower oil in a large frying pan until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 30 seconds. Fry the kofta for a few minutes until crisp, turning every 2 minutes until golden all over– they will continue cooking in the sauce later, so it's important to get a good golden colour. (You may need to fry in batches.) Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper using a slotted spoon and leave to cool to room temperature.

Step 4

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a little more oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining garlic. Stir in the tomato purée for a couple of minutes, then pour in the passata and 500ml water (if cooking for 4). The sauce will look quite thin, but will thicken after adding the koftas. Season the sauce and bring to the boil.

Step 5

Add the fried kofta, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 mins, turning the koftas over in the sauce halfway through, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the koftas are cooked through. Cook your rice now if cooking from scratch. Taste for seasoning, then sprinkle over the remaining dill. Serve hot with rice, heated according to the packet instructions.
  • Ingredients
  • Based on 4 servings
  • 1 Onion, grated 1 x Sainsbury's Onions Loose
  • 40g Dill, finely chopped 2 x Sainsbury's Bunched Dill 20g
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, crushed 1 x Sainsbury's Garlic
  • 500ml Tomato Passata 1 x Sainsbury's Passata 500g
  • 6tbsp Sunflower Oil, for frying 1 x Sainsbury's Sunflower Oil 3L
  • 100g Ground Rice 1 x Freee Gluten Free Rice Flour 1kg
  • 30g Parsley, finely chopped 1 x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Flat Leaf Parsley 30g
  • 30g Coriander, finely chopped 1 x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Mint 30g
  • 0.5tsp Chilli Powder, (optional) 1 x Sainsbury's Mild Chilli Powder 44g
  • 1tsp Arabic Mixed Spice, such as Arabic masala or baharat (gluten-free, if needed) 1 x Sainsbury's Baharat, Inspired to Cook 36g
  • 500g Beef Mince 1 x Sainsbury's British or Irish 5% Fat Beef Mince 500g
  • 440g Cooked White Rice, to serve 2 x Ben's Original Classic Long Grain Microwave Rice 220g
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Purée 1 x Sainsbury's Tomato Puree, Double Concentrate 200g
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