Sour meatballs, a very popular meatball dish, enjoyed by both children and adults, has several variations in different parts of Turkey; in some parts tomato or pepper concentrate is used; in some small diced vegetables; and in some eggs they are completely left out. This version comes from the northwestern/western part of Türkiye.
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons white rice
1/4 to 1/3 cup parsley, very finely chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh dill, very finely chopped
1 egg, white and yolk separated
1 teaspoon or more black pepper
salt
3 tablespoons of flour
4 tablespoons of olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
-Place the minced meat, grated onion, parsley, fresh dill, 1/3 cup of rice, egg white, black pepper, salt in a bowl and mix very well.
-Flour a baking tray.
-Prepare mini meatballs, a quarter the size, and place them on the baking tray.
-When they are all on the baking sheet, shake the baking sheet back and forth or side to side to roll the meatballs around and coat them in flour. This flour will form a nice crust and thicken the “soup” part of the dish.
-Take a wide-bottomed pan and heat it. Add the olive oil and once hot, place the meatballs on the bottom.
-Cook the meatballs until they have a nice crust on one side.
-Add half the lemon juice, 4 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of white rice and a little salt, to your taste.
-Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
-Mix the egg yolk with the rest of the lemon juice in a bowl. Start by taking scoops of liquid or soup from the plate and mix them with the egg and lemon. We're trying to heat the egg slowly so it doesn't curl up when we add it to the dish. Add 3-4 scoops of liquid, one at a time and stir the sauce each time.
-Add the egg and lemon sauce to the dish, stir once and leave to simmer covered for another 15-20 minutes.
-Serve fresh dill or parsley, or with dried mint flakes on top and crusty bread on the side.
Tips: If you have picky kids or adults, you can skip the fresh herbs in the meatballs. If you want to add vegetables, add the carrots, potatoes, celeriac and diced peas immediately after adding the water.
