Instructions

1. 1

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

2. 2

   Meanwhile, for the filling, peel and finely dice the onions. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sweat the onions over a medium heat until soft and pale golden.

3. 3

   Add the minced meat and fry it over a high heat, using a spatula to break up larger pieces, until it is crumbly, no pink remains and the liquid has evaporated. Stir in 1 tsp salt, the pepper, the baharat and the nuts and fry briefly until the nuts smell toasty.

4. 4

   Finely chop the parsley and mix it into the filling. Spread the filling out flat on a plate and leave it to cool completely, as warm filling softens the thin shell.

5. 5

   Add the semolina, 1 tsp salt, the cumin and the Pul Biber to the soaked bulgur and set a bowl of cold water alongside. Knead vigorously with wet hands for about 10 minutes: press the dough against the bottom of the bowl with the heel of your hand, fold it over, press again and keep wetting your hands until it is smooth and supple. Test: flatten a small ball; if the edge cracks, knead in 1 tbsp water, and if the dough sticks to your wet hands, 1 tbsp semolina.

6. 6

   Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces of about 45 g and roll each one with wet hands into a smooth ball the size of a table tennis ball. Keep the balls under a damp tea towel so that they don't dry out, and have a baking tray lined with baking paper ready.

7. 7

   Shaping the shell: place a ball in your left palm and, with the wet index finger of your right hand, push a deep hole into the centre, stopping just short of the bottom (left-handers do the reverse). Keeping your finger in the hole, slowly turn the ball around your finger with your left hand while gently pressing the wall against your finger from the outside with your left thumb. With every turn the wall gets thinner and the shell longer, until it looks like a cone open at the top, about 7 cm long and only 3 to 4 mm thick all over.

8. 8

   Filling: smooth over any cracks in the shell straight away with a wet finger. Then spoon in 1 heaped tbsp filling (about 25 g) and push it loosely down with your finger without stretching the wall; leave about 1 cm free at the top.

9. 9

   Sealing: with wet fingertips, fold the rim inwards all the way round and press together until the opening is completely closed, pinching off any excess dough. Roll the dumpling back and forth between your wet palms, drawing both ends out into points with your thumb and index finger, to make a spindle about 8 cm long with two points. Smooth the surface, place the Kutilk on the tray and shape all the remaining balls in the same way.

10. 10

    For frying, fill a tall, heavy pot with a capacity of at least 5 l no more than a third full with oil and heat the oil to 175 °C, measured with a kitchen thermometer. Have a matching lid ready, keep children away from the hob and never let water get into the hot oil; for this reason, pat the Kutilk dry with kitchen paper beforehand, as wet spots spatter.

11. 11

    Carefully lower 5 Kutilk at a time into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and crisp; let the oil come back up to 175 °C between batches.

12. 12

    Drain the Kutilk on kitchen paper. Cut one Kutilk open: the filling should be cooked through, with no pink spots, and at least 70 °C in the centre; otherwise fry the rest for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve hot.

13. 13

    Tip: Freeze uncooked shaped Kutilk side by side on the tray, then store them in bags for up to 3 months; put them into the 175 °C oil frozen, without thawing, and fry for about 2 minutes longer, until the filling reaches 70 °C. Serve with lemon wedges, a salad of tomatoes, cucumber and parsley, and Mast û xiyar — Cucumber Yogurt with Mint. If you'd rather not deep-fry, cook the dumplings in simmering salted water as for Kutilka kelandî — Diyarbakır-Style Boiled Stuffed Bulgur Dumplings.