Kofta Chalaw (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Rice)

Then prep

• Grate the small onion into a large bowl. This bowl is for the meatballs.
• Finely chop the large onion for the sauce. Put it in its own bowl.
• Grate the garlic: 2 cloves for the meatballs, 2 cloves for the sauce. Put the meatball garlic in the large bowl with the grated onion. Put the sauce garlic in a small bowl.
• Chop the cilantro: 1/4 cup for the meatballs, the rest for serving. Put the 1/4 cup in the large bowl. Keep the rest aside.
• Add the 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander and 1/2 tsp chili flakes to the small bowl with the sauce garlic. This is the spice bowl.
• Open the can of crushed tomatoes. Pour it into a bowl with the 1 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt. This is the tomato bowl.
• Wash the board and put the knife away.
• Add the 1 lb beef, the egg, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to the large bowl. Mix with your hands.
• Roll the mixture into about 20 meatballs, each a little bigger than a walnut. Put them on a plate. Wash your hands.
• Set out a large skillet with a lid, a sieve, a kitchen towel, a clean plate for the browned meatballs, the 2 tbsp butter and the 1 tsp dried mint.
• Everything is ready.

Ingredients

• 1 lbground beef
• 1 smallonion, grated (meatballs)
• 2 clovesgarlic, grated (meatballs)
• 1/4 cupfresh cilantro, chopped, plus more to serve
• 1 largeegg
• 1 tspground coriander (meatballs)
• 1 tspsalt (meatballs)
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1 largeonion, finely chopped (sauce)
• 2 clovesgarlic, grated (sauce)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspground coriander (sauce)
• 1/2 tspred chili flakes
• 1 can (14.5 oz)crushed tomatoes
• 1 cupwater
• 1/2 tspsalt (sauce)
• 1 1/2 cupsbasmati rice
• 2 tbspbutter (rice)
• 1 tspdried mint

Steps

1. Heat the 3 tbsp oil in the large skillet over medium-high.
2. Brown the meatballs on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes, turning them as they color.
3. Move the meatballs to the clean plate.
4. Turn the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion.
5. Cook the onion 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and golden.
6. Add the spice bowl. Stir 1 minute.
7. Add the tomato bowl. Bring to a simmer.
8. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Cover. Turn the heat down so it simmers gently.
9. Set a timer for 20 minutes. The sauce needs nothing until the timer goes. Do the rice now.
10. Drain the rice in the sieve. Add it to the boiling water.
11. Boil the rice 6 minutes. Set a timer for 6 minutes. It's ready when it's just tender at the edges but firm in the center.
12. Drain the rice in the sieve.
13. Melt the 2 tbsp butter in the empty rice pot. Add the rice back and level it.
14. Lay the kitchen towel over the pot and put the lid on tight over it.
15. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cook 15 minutes. Set a timer for 15 minutes. While it steams: wash the bowls and set the table.
16. When the 20-minute meatball timer goes, turn off the heat under the skillet and leave it covered. Wait for the rice timer.
17. When the rice timer goes, fluff the rice with a fork.
18. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the rice. Top with the 1 tsp dried mint and the rest of the cilantro.

Notes

Chalaw is plain Afghan rice: boiled, drained, then steamed so every grain stays separate. These are our own versions in the Milk Street style, not recipes from the book. Written from the standard method, not yet cooked.