Kotletai (Assyrian Hamburgers)

Kotletai, (also spelled Kotleta, Kotlety, and Katleti) are tender oval-shaped Assyrian hamburgers that are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. They are usually served with sliced and fried potatoes and eggplant over vermicelli rice. They can also be stuffed into Pita Bread to make a sandwich.

About this Recipe

While the French have Côtelette, and the Italians, Cotoletta, Russians, and Assyrians have Kotletai. In Assyrian, it's pronounced kotleta or "Kit-le-teh." So what's everyone else left with? Why Cutlets, of course.

Where and who is responsible for the first Kotletai recipe is beyond me, but I would venture to guess that most Assyrians would claim that it was the Assyrians who created this recipe. 😬

Most sources, however, give the credit to the Russians. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to find so many Lithuanian-style Kotletai recipes online!

For the record, my mom made the BEST Kotleta. She would fry the Kotletai in a pan with sliced potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes. Sometimes she added onions and peppers too. The meat and veggies were then piled onto a plate of piping hot rice.

In those days no one counted calories, carbs, or macros. Ahh, back when ignorance was bliss, I can't even imagine guilt-free eating, can you?

While discussing mom's recipe with my sister, Beni, she told me that, unlike mom's Kotletai recipe (which is seasoned with salt and black pepper) Beni sometimes adds sumac, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. She also adds herbs, including cilantro and parsley.

I decided to include sumac and cinnamon, which I instinctively knew would complement the recipe but listed them as optional ingredients. I didn't add any herbs and tried to refrain from turning the Kotletai recipe into another Kofta Kabobs recipe. It would be easy to do.

Why This Recipe Works

If you prefer simpler recipes, this Kotletai recipe might be just what you're looking for!

With simple ingredients like ground beef, onion, potato, and ketchup, I'm betting that you already have all the ingredients at home. If not, you can find them at your local grocery store. I've also listed some substitutions which you may find helpful. 

This recipe is also great for you meal preppers! Raw Kotlety can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to cook them. You can also cook them ahead of time and reheat them in the microwave.

If you prefer, you can even bake the patties in the oven or in an air fryer (sponsored link).

What Goes Into This Recipe

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions

• Meat — I like to use ground beef with 15% fat. You can use leaner beef if you prefer, but the Kotlety might end up being too dry. You can also try using lamb, ground chicken, or turkey instead.
• A1 Steak Sauce — Although A1 steak sauce doesn't sound like a traditional Assyrian ingredient, my mom liked to add it to her Kotletai. You can substitute HP sauce if you'd like or double the amount of ketchup.
• Potato — Some people like to add bread crumbs or a slice of stale bread to the Kotletai filling instead of a potato. Try making them both ways and see which you prefer.
• Spices — Kotletai can be seasoned with salt and black pepper and they'll still taste delicious. However, you can mix things up and add some cayenne or chili pepper, Sumac powder (sponsored link), and a pinch of cinnamon.
• Ketchup — If you're out of ketchup, you can double the amount of steak sauce, or use tomato sauce instead.

How to Make Kotleta

Step 1: Add chopped onion and cubed potato to a food processor. Pulse until finely ground.

Step 2: Strain the excess liquid from the ground potatoes and onions; discard the liquid.

Step 3: Add onion, potato, ground beef, A1-Steak sauce, Ketchup, salt, and black pepper. Knead the mixture until the ingredients are combined. If you prefer, use a food processor.

Note: If you'd like, add the optional spices suggested in the recipe card; Sumac powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.

Step 4: Form the meat mixture into approximately 18 oval-shaped patties. Mine weighed approximately 1.5 ounces each.

Step 5: Fry the Kotletai in a cast-iron skillet for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Fat will be rendered from the patties, so you don't need to add additional oil.

Drain the patties on folded napkins to remove excess fat and serve while hot.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the Kotletai over rice with sliced and fried potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

For a healthy option, skip the fried veggies and serve the Kotlety with a Middle Eastern Salad and Pilaf instead.

Another option is to stuff the patties in some freshly baked Homemade Pita Bread with pickled mangos, sliced tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

• Instead of a potato, add approximately ⅓ cup of unseasoned breadcrumbs to the Kotletai mixture.
• Kotelta prepared with bread crumbs tend to have a crispier outer texture and brown faster than ones prepared with potatoes. 
• Sometimes, eggs are added to bind the mixture. If you'd like to do this, just add one egg before you form the Kotlety.
• Instead of mixing the ingredients by hand, another option is to first grind the onions and potatoes in the food processor, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse until all the ingredients are mixed.
• If you decide to use ground turkey or chicken, or leaner ground beef, you may need to use oil to fry the Kotleta.
• Garlic powder or pressed garlic are also great additions to this recipe.
• If you'd like to add herbs, try chopped Italian parsley, basil, rosemary, or oregano. Or, use an herbal mix of your choice. 

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