Armenian American here. Love this recipe - and I've made it numerous times. My only quibble, though is that Dan uses butter to saute the onions and spices - a truly Armenian Lenten dish should not contain ANY animal products. A good substitute is either Country Crock Plant Butter (olive oil based) or Earth Balance vegan butter.
This brings so many wonderful memories, we used to have vospov kofte once a year, but during lent before easter this dish was our mainstay, also Dan you did justice to the recipe, just like my grandmas Thanks!!
Let’s not forget vospov Abour also, my mother use to make both of them the same day, when I was little girl, I use to ask her was the soup from when she squeezed the lentils, are you sure with your say yes, I guess you didn’t want to explain to me the process. LOL MEMORIES
Usually this is prepared during Lent, when those fasting usually refrain from meat. In the tradition, there really isn’t any cooling done and the bulgur and onions are hand mixed and ‘kneaded’ together to form the firm mixture seen in the video. The shape is also formed by hand, you can usually see the shape of the chef’s palms. One of the best dishes prepared by my grandma!
I watch ATK while I'm busy in the kitchen. I'm half Armenian, and my mother made something similarly shaped, but of meat, and pan fried. I kept replaying the video because I thought I missed the frying part!
You guys dictate my shopping list! I bought the ingredients to make the broccoli with the sunflower topping and now I absolutely have to make this as well. Thank you.
Hmm? I love Mac n cheese with hotdogs! Definitely, not meatless. The salty of the hotdog pairs so perfectly with the creaminess of the Mac n cheese. Definitely one of my favorites! 💖🌞🌵😷
Actually you can ask it meatless. There are several recommended brands of vegan “meat” on the shelves like Impossible Meats, I think they make various forms of it. I don’t like the vegan hot dogs, but there are vegan sausages that are delish like Field Roast Chicken And Sage, or Tofurkey Italian Sausage. They both have the salt and “snap” of a hot dog. If you want to live on the wild side, there are several vegan chorizo sausages that are good, I like Trader Joe’s.
bulgar is similar to dailya thats a very easily digestible and easy on stomach food . one could use the maser dal(red lentil ) mixture with besan that gives binding and then fry them too .
Wow that looks so good. I love to try foods that are not of my own culture. Curious-folks of this culture or familiar is this served as an appetizer? Is it served as a main dish with other veggies? TIA
In the Middle East they don’t eat appetizers ans you think of it, and then slabs of meat with potatoes on the side, they serve a variety of mezze, little dishes and salads which guests share, taking some to their own plate. It might not be the only little dish, there’d be a salad that would have cucumber, tomato, onion. All the cuitures eat that way, healthier too, Israelis included. It could be a light lunch there. Lentils have major protein, remember? It can be quite filling, nutritious and satisfying without sat fat or cholesterol.
full blooded Armenian here and even though this vospov koofteh is close, no cigar. We don't use butter at all and never cook the vosp with oil. Don't even know what aleppo pepper is, it sure isn't armenian. My mom would present the koofteh as a whole mass plated on a dish with some green onions sprinkled on it and all would use a spoon to take some and place on their plate. Dan, you are close, so I guess that is your interpretation of our dish. This is what we would eat a lot of because we were poor. Armenian dishes are the best and so healthy. Lent is also a time to eat meatless dishes. I have recipes that would blow one's mind because they are so flavorful, yet meatless. Vegans, make this dish without the butter. It is absolutely delishious. One can also make lentil soup which is again, meatless and vegan before it was even a concept. Bulghur is pronounced bulghoor, not bulghur.
Are you from Armenia? I'm half Armenian and born here. My grandfather was from Armenia, but also spent time somewhere in Europe until he came here. He spoke several languages, Anyway, you spell this as koofteh. This recipe reminded me of a meat dish my mother used to make, but the whole family called it kefteh. Do you think it's supposed to be the same word? Does the word mean something, like a shape?
Chris, my great grandparents were slaughtered as a lot of my people were during WWI. When he could tell the story without crying, my grandpa told us how he escaped and settled as a little boy in Jordan. From there, my parents emigrated to America when I was 9 months old. Back then, we Armenians were very welcome to the US because of our peaceful ways. If you knew the real history of our people, you would be so proud. I don't begrudge Americans trying to make our foods, but, I grew up in an authentic Armenian family and I really don't like to see our foods muddled nor pronounced incorrectly. My mom was the best cook and I make my dishes as she taught me. Chris, you have no idea who you really are even though you are only half Armenian. I will close with this thought for you. In Genesis, in the table of nations, we Armenians are of the Japethian tribe. We are God's chosen. Forgot, yes, I make koofteh with lamb when I can find it. No, koofteh is the name of the dish. My mom use to make what looked like small footballs that were made of meat and bulghoor on the outside and a delicious meat filling with onions on the inside. Out of this world in taste.
@@gcube3697 My grandfather was sent to America to avoid the Turks. He never saw his family again. I know a bit of Armenian history. Wasn't it the first nation to officially accept Christianity? Yes, my mother made them too. I suspect though that due to the availability of foods in different places, recipes change. Also, the English translation will always be a best guess. Google translate doesn't do well with Armenian. It was nice speaking with you!
First, I’m so curious if this was inspired by being so close to Watertown, MA?! Second, I’d rethink Aleppo pepper- is it so easy to get given the political situation over there the past handful of years? I know Curio stopped carrying it a while back for that reason.
It’s a strain of peppers, not a location, it doesn’t have to come from Aleppo soil. And there are other peppers you can substitute. Or were you just trying to drag in politics?
There is no such thing as “meat restriction by Armenian Apostolic Church” unless it is an Easter lent, but that applies to all christian denominations. Your words in the sentence are luck of knowledge and misleading.
Not all of them. This type of fasting is completely unknown in American Protestantism. The Catholics did away with it at Vatican II (along with a lot of other things).
On several recent recipes (which are dishes shared by Turkey and Armenia), the comments section was a warzone, so I'm guessing they don't delete any comments.
A tale as old as time (or at least as old as RU-vid): Random person comments in all caps. Without specifics, declares recipe an abomination. The end. The amount I learned from this statement cannot be measured.
First of I all, lower yiudncapa, it’s considered to be screaming and it’s rude online. Secondly, nobody is twisting your arm to make it, it’s just your opinion, who died and made you the authority? Mommy?
It is pronounced wrong, VOSPOV should be pronounced with the O not "vaspav" & not "vuspuv". VOSP in Armenian means lentil. Kofte' is invented by the Persians (now Iran) & means "pounded" & they made them round like meatballs). Nowadays they make it in different shapes all over the world . 🇦🇲❤️🇦🇲💙🇦🇲🧡 Armenian Flag. My thanks to Dan Souza 💕👍😘
