The traditional name for this beloved Moroccan Dish is ‘kwari bilbeid’ but the NYSHUK founders, Ron & Leetal, simply call the dish ‘Surprise Meatballs’ for the sweet, spicy heat of the harissa and unexpected umami kick of the quail eggs in the center. Truth be told, when hearing about this traditional Moroccan dish for the first time we weren’t really sure about the addition of an egg in our meatballs. But when something works, you just don’t ask any questions! Enjoy!
NYShuk Harissa Spiced Surprise Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 15 quail eggs
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1 slice white bread
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp NYShuk Harissa
Tomato Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 large tomatoes grated
- 6 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tbsp NYShuk Harissa
- 1-10 pinch Kosher salt to taste salt to your taste
Instructions
Sauce
- Sauté garlic with olive oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes, making sure you closely watch the garlic so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the Harissa while continuing to cook and mix for another minute.
- Add the grated tomatoes and season with salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Quails Eggs
- Boil a pot of water and cook the quail eggs for 4 minutes. Peel them and set aside.
Meatballs
- Soak the white bread in water, squeeze the liquid out and grate.
- In a bowl, knead well the meat, bread, egg, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and Harissa. Gently roll meat mixture into 15 equal-sized balls.
- Place 1 quail egg in the center of each meat portion and gently shape into balls.
- Place in the tomato sauce and cook for 15 minutes until meatballs are fully cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
If you feel like going the extra mile, serve it with thinly sliced fried garlic, a nice crunchy element. Alternately, you can serve over rice, couscous or just with a nice piece of fresh bread on the side!
Enjoy these surprisingly delicious Meatballs from our good friends at NYShuk and let us know what you think! See you soon!