Giouvarlakia Avgolemono – Traditional Greek meatballs with rice in a lemony sauce
Giouvarlakia (or Youvarlakia) Avgolemono is a Greek traditional dish with meatballs and rice in a lemony sauce. Avgolemono sauce has a magic way of making whatever food you use it on tastes 10 times better and in my honest opinion compliments this dish perfectly.
Giouvarlakia Avgolemono – Traditional Greek meatballs with rice in a lemony sauce
Prep: 10m | Cook: 30m | Total: 40m | Serves:
Ingredients:
- 500g Minced beef
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 onion, blended and drained
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 egg
- Β½ cup Dill, finely chopped
- Β½ cup Parsley, finely chopped
- Β½ cup of short grain Rice, washed and drained (125g)
- 1.5 liter of water
- 100g all-purpose Flour, for coating the meatballs
- A pinch of Salt /Pepper
For the Avgolemono sauce:
- 2 lemons, their juice
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1 and 1/2 Ξ€bsp cornstarch*
Instructions:
- Peel the onion and cut it into 4 pieces. Blend it with your kitchen processor using the pulse option and drain it from its juices (or finely chop it into very small pieces).
- Add the minced beef in a large bowl followed by the grated carrot, the dill, parsley, the rice, the egg, 1 Tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the finely chopped onion.
- Mix all the ingredients with your hands very well until all are combined.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in your fridge for 30 minutes.
- Shape the meat patty into balls and roll them in the flour so they get a nice coating.
- Add 1.5 liters of water in a pot over high heat and as soon as it boils, through in the meatballs.
- Bring to a boil, skim the foam on top, and lower the heat letting it simmer for 20 minutes.
- For the Avgolemono sauce: Squeeze the lemons and separate the yolks from the egg whites.
- Beat the egg whites with a whisk or your hand mixer and as soon as they double in volume add Β½ tsp from lemon juice and continue whisking until they triple their volume.
- Add the yolks one by one into the fluffy egg whites, and whisk to combine.
- Dissolve the corn starch into the lemon juice and add it to the egg mixture, stirring well.
- Then take 2-3 soup spoons of the hot broth that the meatballs were simmering in and pour it slowly, into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
- Then pour the egg mixture in the pot with the meatballs, off the heat, and stir gently to go everywhere.
- Bring the meatballs to a boil over high heat and the Giouvarlakia Avgolemono are ready to enjoy!
- As a serving suggestion, I would recommend eating them with French fries and feta cheese, they are truly amazing!
Notes:
- The amount of corn starch that I add to thicken the Avgolemono sauce for this recipe should change depending on the water ratio you add on a scale of 1/10. For example, if we make a smaller amount of Giouvarlakia and add 1 liter of water, then the corn starch should be reduced to 1 Tbsp.
- Greek Traditional, Recipes
- avgolemono, carrot, dill, eggs, flour, Greek traditional recipe, ground beef, lemon, minced beef, parsley, rice
- MEAL: Dinner
- COURSE: Soup
- CUISINE: Greek Traditional
- Recipe by: Christina Karagianni
Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiatoΒ or show me your photos onΒ Pinterest!
