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Joyce’s Kharpertsi Kufta
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Joyce Kierejczyk’s Kharpertsi Kufta

April 30, 2026 0 Comments

Joyce’s family recipe for Kharpertsi kufta – Armenian meatballs from the historic Armenian city of Kharpert – has been handed down for generations. Special thanks to Phil Tavlian, the first to record this recipe. If I had to pick one, executive summary-style takeaway, it is this: When your guests cut into their kufta, butter should squirt out. This is the mark of a generous cook. Should you fail the squirt test, don’t get discouraged. Just use more next time. Remember Joyce’s mantra: “More butter is better!”

Joyce Kierejczyk’s Kharpertsi Kufta

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Yield:

5 Dozen Kufta

Prep time:

At least 2 days

Cook time:

6 hours and 15 minutes

Total time:

At least two days, six hours, and 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

15 lbs white onions
Handful of Armenian peppers
5 lbs ground lamb
2 pounds of butter, (more or less), based on your preferences
6 tsp salt (see notes)
1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika (see notes)
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
4 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
6-7 tbsp dried purple basil (“rajan”)
4 bunches flat leaf parsley

OUTSIDE

6 lbs fresh, twice-ground prime beef (“kheyma”), divided into 3 equal parts (2 pounds each)
6 heaping cups of fine (#1 cut) bulgur, divided into 3 equal parts (2 heaping cups each)
6 tsp salt, divided into 3 equal parts (2 tsp each)
¾ tsp black pepper, divided into 3 equal parts (¼ tsp each)
1 ½ tsp Hungarian sweet paprika, divided into 3 equal parts (½ tsp each)
¾ tsp cayenne pepper, divided into 3 equal parts (¼ tsp each): OPTIONAL

EQUIPMENT

  • 2-3 Large sauté pans
  • Large roasting pan
  • Any masher tool, such as a potato masher
  • 1 ½ inch cookie scoop
  • 3 bowls
  • Electric mixer (such as Kitchen-Aid) with the paddle attachment
  • Rimmed trays, such as cookie sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Aluminum foil

INSTRUCTIONS

Day 1: Make the “por” (short for “porig” or filling)

1. Clean the onions, peel away the outer two layers, and dice what remains.
2. Wash parsley, remove all leaves from stems, and coarsely chop.
3. In a large pan, sauté 10 cups of onions in 1 cup of butter.
4. Add 1 tsp salt to the onions.
5. In another large sauté pan, brown the ground lamb.
6. After the meat has browned, mash the lamb into very fine bits with a masher tool.
7. Incorporate the remaining salt and remaining por spices into the meat.
8. Add onions, meat, and another 2 cubes of butter (or more, as needed) to a large roasting pan and stir.
9. Bake for 2 hours at 350.
10. Remove pan from oven, mash the mixture again, and replace into oven for 2 more hours.
11. At the 4-hour baking mark, remove from the oven and add the chopped parsley.
12. If you don’t see butter floating on top, add more butter at this point and stir.
13. Cool the mixture and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2: Forming the por balls

14. Using a 1 ½ inch scoop, form rounded balls with approximately 2 tbsp of por.
15. Form the scoops of por into flattened balls that resemble the planet Saturn.
16. Flash freeze the por balls on baking sheets lined with foil.
17. Once frozen, place the por balls in Ziploc bags until ready to make the outside layer.

Day 2 (or Day 3): Making the kufta

Once you see tiny strings, proceed to forming the balls.
(If the mixture is dry at this point, add 1 tbsp ice water at a time, until the mixture is soft and pliable.)

18. Prepare three bowls, each with 2 heaping cups of bulgur, 2 tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp paprika, and the optional ¼ tsp cayenne pepper.
19. Mix the dry ingredients in each bowl.
20. Add 2 cups of ice-cold water to each of the bowls and mix to incorporate.
21. Wait approximately 15 minutes – until the mixture in each of the bowls has absorbed all of the water – before proceeding to the next step.
22. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on slow speed, add 2 pounds of the meat and one of the bowls of dry mixture, little by little.
23. Check your mixture after about 4 minutes to see if it has become stringy.
24. Working with two pounds of meat at a time, repeat the process three times.
25. Prepare rimmed trays, lined with parchment paper.
26. Prepare a bowl of ice water for dipping your fingers, to keep your hands moist.
27. Take 1/3 cup of the mixture and roll into a ball.
28. Press your thumb gently down into the center of the ball, building up the sides.
29. Place a frozen por ball in the hole an begin to press the sides to close.
30. Spin-roll the balls in the palm of your hands to form the shape of a flying saucer.
31. Use the ice water, as needed, to moisten your hands and smooth any cracks in your kufta.
32. Place finished kufta on a rimmed tray, lined with dry parchment paper.
33. Cook directly in a pot of broth, or place the trays directly in the freezer overnight.
34. If you decide to freeze them at this point, be sure to secure your kufta in airtight freezer bags the next morning, then return them to the freezer.

Serving Options

35. Cook directly in a pot of your favorite broth
36. Boil the frozen kufta (no need to thaw first) in your favorite broth with small noodles, as desired. They are ready when they float!
37. Fry up your thawed kufta in oil.
38. Bake thawed kufta in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes, basting often with butter.

NOTES:

Por

  • Joyce uses dried red peppers (membranes removed) that she procure from her Central Valley farming relatives. The rest of us can use Sweet Hungarian Paprika from a specialty grocer.
  • Use 15 pounds of diced onions per ½ cup of butter (1 cube) and note that it will take 2 hours to sauté this quantity of onions to the point of caramelization.
  • Use 3 pounds of diced onions per 1 pound of meat.
  • One pound of onions yields 3 cups chopped onions; remember to peel away the two outermost layers before chopping.
  • Use 1 teaspoon salt per pound of meat and per 10 cups of onions.
  • When biting into the kufta, the “por” should all be the same consistency. To achieve this, ensure the “por” is completely mashed before it cools. (You may need to mash it again when it comes out of the oven, before letting it cool.)
  • Remember that your “por” needs to be very cold before you can form your kufta.
  • Use only fresh meat for the outside, finding a butcher who can pass prime beef through a grinder at least two times to ensure it’s very fine.
  • This recipe should yield about 90 por balls, so you will have about 30 balls left. They will keep in the freezer until you’re ready to make more kufta.
  • As mentioned below, the yield on the outer casing is about 20 kufta per two pounds of kheyma meat, so you should be able to get another 2 dozen kufta out of this por recipe.

Outside

  • Two pounds of kheyma meat yields 20 kufta, so this recipe should yield 60 kufta.
  • Bulgur is whole wheat grain that has been parboiled, dried, and cracked. There are fine, medium, and coarse grains available in Middle Eastern markets and online. Look for the finest grain of bulgur (#1) for this recipe, which is same as used for kheyma and tabouli.
April 30, 2026

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KEYWORDS

Armenianfood, Kufta

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