The cookbook, “Armenian Cuisine“ by Aline Kamakian and Barbara Drieskens has a recipe called ‘Ouroukh Tzavarov” and refers to this dish as ‘kuftah with bulgur and mint’.
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Meat and Bulgur Kuftah
(Photo from www.columbuscameo.org) | |
“The Complete
Armenian Cookbook’s” rendition by Alice Bezjian calls this dish ‘Orouk’, and describes it as ‘bulgur kebab’.
The names, spellings and ingredients might vary slightly, but they seem to produce a similar, delicious-sounding end product.
Oroogh was served at the Seroonian Armenian Community Center last month. The creative mind behind the recipe is Anahid Shirozian, who prepares food at the community center. She was kind enough to share her ‘Oroogh’ recipe with me.
Oroogh
from Anahid Shirozian
Yields about 10 servings
Ingredients:
Approximately 1/3 cup fine (#1) bulgur
1 ½ lb. ground beef (80-85% lean)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. each: black pepper, Aleppo red pepper (cayenne pepper can be substituted)
3 Tbsp. dried mint, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
½ cup water, if needed
Directions:
1. Soak the bulgur in ½ cup lukewarm water for about 10 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Drain any excess liquid.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat with the bulgur, spices, mint, and onion, if using.
3. Knead all of the ingredients together, adding some of the water if the mixture seems too dry.
4. Divide the mixture into 10 balls. Using skewers, shape each into a sausage shape, then slide it off the skewer and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Continue this process until all of the meat has been shaped.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 -375° oven for about 20 minutes, turning the meat about halfway through the baking process.
Special Notes:
- Aline Kamakian’s and Barbara Drieskens’ recipe suggests brushing the shaped meat with oil before baking.
- Alice Bezjian’s recipe suggests turning the baking tray after 10 minutes in the oven, as well as turning the meat so all sides bake evenly. She also recommends sprinkling about ¼ cup water over the meat the last 5 minutes of baking.