Zubereitung

1. 1

   Put the bulgur in a large bowl, pour the warm water over it, stir once and leave it to swell, covered, until it has absorbed all the water.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, peel the onion and chop it very finely or grate it, finely chop the parsley and roughly chop the walnuts.

3. 3

   Add the minced lamb with the onion, parsley, walnuts, red pepper paste, cumin, salt and pepper to the soaked bulgur. Knead vigorously with wet hands for about 5 minutes until you have an even, firm dough that holds together; if it is too dry, knead in 1 to 2 tbsp cold water.

4. 4

   Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces of about 70 g. Roll each into a ball with wet hands and press it flat in your palm into a round patty about 8 cm across and 1 cm thick; smooth the edge with your fingers so that it does not fray during frying. Lay the patties on a tray lined with baking paper.

5. 5

   For deep-frying, fill a wide, heavy, high-sided pot no more than a third full with oil, at least 3 cm deep, and heat the oil to 170 °C, measured with a kitchen thermometer. Have a fitting lid ready, keep children away from the stove and never let water get into the hot oil; so pat the patties dry with kitchen paper beforehand, as wet spots will spit.

6. 6

   Carefully slide 3 to 4 patties at a time into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry until the underside is deep golden brown, then turn and fry the second side in the same way, 7 to 8 minutes in total. Let the oil come back up to 170 °C between batches.

7. 7

   Drain the patties on kitchen paper. Cut one patty open in the middle: the meat should be cooked through with no pink spots and reach at least 70 °C in the centre; otherwise fry the rest for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

8. 8

   Serve the Irûq hot with the lemon wedges.

9. 9

   Tip: Fresh mint, spring onions, radishes and Mast û xiyar — cucumber yogurt with mint — go well with them; in Jazira the patties are also tucked into warm flatbread. Shaped patties can be frozen between sheets of baking paper and kept for up to 2 months; thaw them in the fridge, pat dry and fry until they reach 70 °C in the centre. Keep leftover fried Irûq in the fridge, eat within two days and reheat in the oven at 180 °C fan until piping hot right through.