Siserov Kufteh (Seesere Kufta)- Chick Pea Kufteh

Lucine Kasbarian’s father, CK Garabed, is searching for Siserov Kufteh, a Dikranagerdtsi recipe, which is served primarily during Lent.
He stated, “Most Armenians make Topig, which calls for a filling. However, Siserov Kufteh requires no filling. Basically, it involves boiling ground chick peas in water, and forming into tennis-sized balls. When cooked and cooled, the balls are crumbled into a spinach-rice soup. In addition, the balls, when cooled may be sliced and fried in olive oil…”

CK, here is a recipe for Seesere Kufta, sent to me by Alice (Doramajian) Bakalian. It was her mother, Baidzar’s recipe.

Alice wrote this in a most amusing way; I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did! A second recipe from Alice follows this one.

#1: Seesere Kufta
      by Baidzar, as written by Alice Bakalian with a sense of humor! 

• Mint – not too much or it will taste lousy.
• Salt and coriander
• Seesere must be soaked for 3 days – at least!
• Each day water must be changed twice or you are in BIG trouble.
• After soaking comes the grinding with the medium blade on your machine.
• Whatever water accumulates in the machine, pour into ground seesere.
• If machine is water tight, you are LUCKYYYYYY!
• If leaking, then I would suggest you pull up a chair and place a pot under the machine to collect seepage.
• Just thought I’d remind you: Before grinding the seesere, prepare a very large pot with briskly boiling water to which 1 ½ Tablespoons of cornstarch has been added.
• To continue: Mix all ingredients together.
• Knead everything with a little water (very little).
• After mixing, you will form mixture into balls the size of your hand – rounded on top, flat on the bottom.
• Put these cute little concoctions into the boiling water – Don’t overcrowd! They should swim around like dolphins.
• While boiling, get yourself and Eberhard #2 pencil. Break off the metal and eraser, then break off the point – making both ends flat.
• Now strip off all the paint on the pencil and you are ready. (If no pencils are around, a bamboo skewer will do.)
• After 20 minutes of boiling, take one of your dolphins out and insert your surgically prepared pencil (or bamboo skewer) into it gently.
• If it slides off, pick up the pieces from the floor and throw it back into this inferno for about 10 minutes. Try this procedure again.

                             !!!!!Oh, what a MESS!!!!!

• When it sticks to the pencil, you hang out a flag and call all the neighbors because you probably (scrupulously) forgot to wash and cut the 2 pounds of spinach.
• Certainly they’ll help you! Let them do it in the living room; the kitchen is a disaster area by now!

                           !!!!!Oh My God, What a MESS!!!!!

• By now your kuftas are done (about 5 hours) and you’re left with this strange gurgling liquid (UGH).
• !!!!!Don’t Panic!!!!!
• Do not drain, I repeat, Do not drain!
• Leave as is.
• I assume you’ve put some sumac in the water and brought to a boil, then cooled.
• This has been sitting around, festering, while all of this nonsense is going on.
• Drain the sumac and add liquid with a can of tomato paste. Add lemon, to taste, to the gurgle.
• Cool this (uh, I really don’t know what to call it).
• ANNYYYWWWWAAAYYY, cook until spinach is soft – and now you’ve got it made!

                                 !!!!!Anoush Eghna!!!!!

PS: Cut about 2 pounds of onions, very fine. Cook until quite brown in oil. Mince garlic into some water and let it soak for a while. These can be added to each individual dish, if they are so inclined, of course.

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Instead of placing the kufta (chick pea) balls in the spinach, they can be prepared as follows:

Chop scallions and parsley; mix well into the ground seesere along with some flour, dried mint, ground coriander, salt and red pepper. Form into flat patties. Fry in olive oil until done.