Kotlet aka Persian meat patties are one of a kind and an all-time favorite. They are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!
It's always great to see that you love and make our Persian recipes at home. When readers reach out and say they have made our fava beans recipe in spring as a snack, our ghormeh sabzi or zereshk polo for a gathering, and have served it with mast o khiar, it makes me so happy! Now here is a new addition to our collection: Kotlet also known as Persian meat patties.
Table Of Contents:
What is Kotlet?
Kotlet is a Persian dish made with ground beef and lamb mixed with spices and eggs and fried in a pan. It originates from the word "cutlet" which means a thin slice of meat or a croquette or cutlet-shaped patty made with ground meat. Kotlet is a delicious family dinner that also makes great leftovers and is perfect for school lunch.
There are many ways to make kotlet and each Iranian family has its own method and list of ingredients to use. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is my family's and we've been making it for years.
Ingredients notes and substitutions
To make these Persian meat patties, all you need are only a few ingredients:
- Ground beef: I usually use lean ground beef for this recipe. You can also use ground lamb or a combination of ground lamb and beef.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes work best for this recipe. You can either use them raw or boil them in advance. Both approaches will result in delicious patties. I've shown the method using raw potatoes in this recipe.
- Onion: You need to grate the onion and squeeze out all the excess liquid.
- Spices: this recipe calls for turmeric, salt and pepper. Some might also add cayenne, paprika or cumin.
- Flour: Just a few tablespoons of all purpose flour to bring the mixture together.
- Egg: This works as a binding agent in this recipe.
How to make Kotlet
- Mix the ground meat (lamb, beef or a combination of both) with the grated onion, grated potatoes, spices, egg and flour.
- Pour the oil in the pan, enough to cover the bottom of the pan and heat it over medium heat. Wet your hands with water and grab about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and shape it into a patty. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Place the patties in the oil and sear for about 5 minutes on each side until the outside is brown and crispy and the inside is fully cooked.
Serving suggestion
The traditional way of serving kotlet is with some bread such as lavash or barbari and pickles, tomatoes and fries. You can easily turn this into a wrap for an easy on the go meal.
You can also serve these Persian meat patties with white rice, saffron rice or Persian rice with tahdig. I also like to have some Persian pickles on the side for more flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Persian meat patties are originally fried in a pan but I have also baked them in the oven and they turn out pretty good. To bake kotlet, preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Shape the patties and place them on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
Yes! Traditionally, kotlet is made with either ground lamb, beef or a combination of the two. But you can use ground turkey as well.
The reason the patties are burnt on the outside and raw on the inside could be the heat. If the heat is too high the inside will be raw.
Yes. You can make the mixture up to a day in advance. It's also possible to make the patties a day in advance and keep them in the refrigerator and heat when ready to eat.
Place the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw them in the fridge overnight and reheat in a pan over medium heat.
More Persian recipes
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Persian Meat Patties- Kotlet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 russet potato
- 1 onion
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp. flour
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
To serve:
- 1 tomatoes sliced
- 1 cup pickles sliced
- fries
Instructions
- Grate the onion. Squeeze it very hard and dispose all the juice. (The juice will make the patties fall apart). Peel and grate the potato as well.
- Mix the grated onion with ground beef.
- Add the egg, flour and spices, using your hand, mix everything until well combined. The mixture is going to be very sticky.
- Heat the oil in a shallow pan over medium heat.
- Place a bowl of water near yourself, wet your hands, take about 2 tablespoons of the patty mixture, form into oval and fry it in the oil, about 5 minutes on each side until brown and cooked inside.
- Serve warm with tomatoes, fries and pickled cucumber.
Notes
- You can boil the potatoes in advance, mash them and add them to the rest of the ingredients.
- To fry the patties, you can use vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
- To bake kotlet, preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Shape the patties and place them on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Tara
This recipe is really easy and came out delisious. Thank you Shadi. I also try to leave the mixture in the refrigerator. for about 20 to 30 minutes before make the patties. It helps the binding and hold the shape while coocking.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Happy to know you enjoyed this recipe Tara!
Ziggy
Wow, what a surprised. I've been trying to read the history of this dish and have had trouble. Kotlet, specifically the way it's made here (ground meat) is popular in Eastern Europe and I've cooked it a lot when I missed home. I was surprised to find that its history is Persian! I tried to find some info about when it came to Eastern Europe, but couldn't.
The only difference I see is that you use potato and we don't (at least my family doesn't, maybe some do). I use bread (soaked in water and then drained to add fluffiness) instead. Everything else is identical!
Love the recipe and so interesting this find this!
Charles
These persian meat patties look delicious! These are a must try. Thanks!
Michelle
Oh wow, this looks so delicious. My family is going to devour it!
Aimee Mars
I had a dear friend growing up who was Persian and her mother made us the most delicious home-cooked meals. These meat patties remind me of some of the dishes she made and I can't wait to try them in my own home now.
Katherine
These meat patties are so flavorful and easy to make!
Claire
I love the texture of these patties. I baked mine in the oven and they came out really well.
gunjan
This is gorgeous and so perfect for the holiday season. So excited to try this over the weekend.
Toubi Katouzi
I followed the instructions regarding the ingredients and measurement to the T! But my kotlet didn't come as one piece. the ingredients fell off! I posted a comment but it was ignored and not polished. What went wrong?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Toubi, we replied to your comment on 11/01/2022. Please check the comment section.
Toubi Katouzi
I followed your instructions and the ingredients to the t. But my Kotlet fell off to pieces! It was not sold shape! What could be the reason? Too much meat? Not enough egg? Not enough potatoes?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Toubi, it could be that the egg was not enough or the mixture needed a bit more flour. Hope this helps.