Pan-Fried Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Salad
810 kcal per serving · 38g protein
Bulgarian kyufteta without the bread: an egg and two minutes of kneading bind the mince instead, which keeps the meatballs juicy and the carbs low. Cumin and chubritsa give the unmistakable Balkan grill flavour from an ordinary pan. The side is Snezhanka, the thick cucumber, garlic and dill yogurt salad, made while the mince rests in the fridge.
Open in Mixit →Ingredients
- 150 g Minced meat (pork, or pork and beef mix)
- Spring onion, finely chopped × 1
- Egg × 1
- 0.5 tsp Ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp Chubritsa (dried savory)
- 4 g Fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 g Salt, for the meatballs
- 0.5 g Black pepper
- 100 g Strained yogurt
- 70 g Cucumber, peeled and finely diced
- 1 clove Garlic clove, crushed
- 3 g Fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 1 g Salt, for the salad
- 10 g Walnuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp Sunflower oil, for the pan
Method
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Knead the meatball mince
In a bowl, combine the minced meat with the chopped spring onion, egg, cumin, chubritsa, chopped parsley, the salt for the meatballs and the black pepper. Knead the mince by hand for 2 minutes, until the mince turns sticky and holds together.
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Rest the mince
Cover the bowl and rest the mince in the fridge for 15 minutes, so the cumin and chubritsa settle into the meat.
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Make the Snezhanka salad
While the mince rests, stir the strained yogurt with the diced cucumber, crushed garlic, chopped dill, olive oil and the salt for the salad until evenly mixed. Scatter the chopped walnuts on top and keep the Snezhanka salad in the fridge.
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Shape the meatballs
With wet hands, shape the rested mince into flattened ovals about 2 cm thick.
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Pan-fry the meatballs
Heat the sunflower oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs for 5 minutes on each side, until deep brown outside and no longer pink in the centre.
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Serve hot with cold salad
Plate the hot meatballs next to a generous mound of the cold Snezhanka salad.