Acclaimed chef Israel Aharoni is a proud member of the Bukharian Jewish community, so when he cooked for our Sir Shel Bayit, or House Pot lunch series, he chose a dish starring pomegranate, an important ingredient in Central Asian cooking.
In this meatball recipe, he combines beets, carrots, cumin, and cardamom with sour pomegranate molasses to create a rich and deeply flavorful sauce. Rather than frying the meatballs, Aharoni prefers to roast them in an oven at a very high temperature for about 10 minutes to ensure they brown and maintain their shape once they’re added to the sauce.
Every Tuesday, we ask a different chef or home cook to prepare a dish at Cafe Asif for our Sir Shel Bayit, or House Pot lunch series. Try Hila Alpert’s House Pot recipe for miso black bean soup with chicken meatballs.
For the sauce:
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
6 small beets, peeled and sliced into eighths
6 cardamom pods, crushed
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
¼ cup (60ml) pomegranate molasses
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6¼ cups (1½ liter) chicken stock or water
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
For the meatballs:
2.2lb (1 kg) ground beef
3 slices of bread, soaked in water and squeezed well
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
1 bunch cilantro, washed and finely chopped
1 hot green chili pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped
2 eggs
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
To serve:
Fresh pomegranate seeds
½ bunch cilantro, washed and finely chopped
- Prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown.
- Add the carrots, beets, cardamom pods, bay leaves and cumin seeds and fry until the spices release their aroma, about 3 minutes.
- Add pomegranate molasses, sugar, chicken stock (or water), season with salt and ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and simmer while preparing the meatballs.
- Prepare the meatballs: Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Using your hands, mix all the meatball ingredients to combine. Roll into ping-pong sized balls and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in the oven and roast until the meatballs are browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer, partially covered, for about 1½ hours, until the vegetables soften and the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick add a little boiling water, if it is too watery, remove the cover and cook until done.
- To serve: Divide into deep serving plates, sprinkle pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro on top.
