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Meatballs in a cast iron skillet with tomato sauce and garnished with parsley.
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4.50 from 6 votes

Gluten Free Meatballs (Egyptian Koftet roz)

This easy gluten-free meatballs recipe is like no other as it is gluten free, egg free, dairy free and does not require gluten free bread crumbs. Known in Egypt as Koftet roz or rice meatballs. A flavorful meatball loaded with fresh herbs.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Appetizer, dinner
Cuisine: Egyptian
Diet: Gluten Free, Halal
Servings: 55 meatballs
Calories: 54kcal
Author: Amira

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • ½ cup water
  • 5 large garlic cloves
  • 1 bunch cilantro discard the thick stems and chop
  • 1 0.5 - 0.7 oz dill discard the thick stems and chop
  • 3 cups rice flour 450g
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-3 teaspoons salt or to your liking
  • 1 ½ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pound ground beef

Instructions

  • In your blender, add onion, garlic, water and blend well.
  • Add chopped fresh herbs and blend again.
  • Add ground beef and blend once more until everything is combined.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine rice flour, spices and baking soda.
  • Mix the ground beef mixture into the rice mixture and knead with your hands until you get a soft, but firm mixture. Add more water if you feel the need to.
  • Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball or fingers (more traditional).
  • Deep fry in oil until lightly brown.
  • You can eat as is or add to a tomato or marinara sauce.

Notes

  • If you do not have rice flour you can simply grind rice from your pantry. Each cup of rice will give you around 1 ⅓ cup of rice flour.
  • When prepping the fresh herbs get rid of the lowest part of the bunch as it is usually thick stems without any leaves. We mainly want leaves and thin stems.
  • The recipe is very forgiving so do not freak out too much about the fresh herbs weight. 
  • Meatballs might crack up a bit while frying this is totally normal and okay for this kind of meatballs as these meatballs are usually made with ground camel meat and this makes it more intact and crack-free.
  • Meatballs are usually crunchy on the outside but adding it to sauce softens them.
  • The more they stay in the sauce, the more they will absorb it and get fatter as they have a lot of rice content. This is not something bad though, many people especially older people, like it soft and fat like this. If this would bother you then make your sauce and drop the meatballs in just before serving. 
  • These meatballs are very economical and feeds a crowd.  This recipe yields about 3 pounds of gluten free meatballs. 
  • Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1each | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg