Kiftey brwêş — Lamb Dumplings in Swiss Chard and Herb Broth

Name: Kiftey brwêş — Lamb Dumplings in Swiss Chard and Herb Broth
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 150 g fine bulgur (sold as “köftelik” in Turkish shops); 100 ml warm water; 2 piece onions; 500 g minced lamb (or minced beef); 2.5 tsp salt (1.5 tsp for the dumplings, 1 tsp for the broth); 0.5 tsp black pepper (ground); cold water for your hands, as needed; 500 g Swiss chard; 1 bunch spring onions; 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; 1.5 l water for the broth; 1 bunch dill; 1 bunch cilantro; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley; 1–2 piece lemons (juice)

A Kurdish classic from Sulaimaniyya and Hawraman in northeastern Iraq: Kiftey brwêş is a green soup with cherry-sized dumplings of minced lamb and fine bulgur, gently cooked in a broth packed with Swiss chard, dill, cilantro, parsley and spring onions. The name gives away the key ingredient, because brwêş means fine bulgur in Sorani. The bulgur keeps the dumplings light and juicy, and fresh lemon juice gives the herb-green broth a bright, fresh acidity.

⏱

Cook time

80 min

🍽️

Servings

🧂

Ingredients

View Original ↗

Nutrition

per serving

563 kcal

Calories

30 g

Protein

32 g

Fat

38 g

Carbs

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Estimated cost~€5.05 · ~€1.25/serving

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Kitchen Tools

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Kochmesser

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Fleischthermometer

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Instructions

1
Put the bulgur in a large bowl, pour the warm water over it, stir once and leave it to soak, covered, until it has absorbed all the water.
2
Peel 1 onion, grate it finely and gently squeeze out the juice. Add the minced meat, grated onion, 1.5 tsp salt and the pepper to the bulgur and knead vigorously with wet hands for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth mixture that holds together well.
3
Set out a bowl of cold water and, with wet hands, shape cherry-sized dumplings of about 2.5 cm, rolling each piece of mixture firmly and smoothly between your palms so that they don't fall apart in the broth. Place the dumplings on a plate, cover and chill until the broth is ready.
4
Wash the Swiss chard, cut off the stalks and cut them into 1 cm pieces, and cut the leaves into strips about 2 cm wide. Peel the second onion and dice it finely; slice the spring onions into rings.
5
Heat the oil in a large pot and sweat the onion and the white parts of the spring onions until translucent, then add the chard stalks and sweat them briefly as well.
6
Add the water for the broth and 1 tsp salt, bring to the boil and simmer until the stalks are almost tender.
7
Turn down the heat until the broth is just barely simmering, slide the dumplings in one at a time and cook uncovered without stirring; after a few minutes they will rise to the surface.
8
Meanwhile, chop the dill, cilantro and parsley, including the tender stalks. Add the chard leaves, the herbs and the green parts of the spring onions to the soup and let everything simmer gently for a short while until the leaves have wilted.
9
Take out one dumpling and cut it open: it should be cooked through with no pink spots and at least 70 °C in the centre; otherwise simmer for a few more minutes. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon, season to taste with salt and more lemon juice and serve hot in deep plates.
10
Tip: Serve with flatbread or a plate of white rice, added to the broth a spoonful at a time. Instead of lamb, you can use minced beef or a mixture of both. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate within two hours at the latest, use within a day and reheat thoroughly before eating; the herbs lose some of their colour when reheated.