Lithuanian Meatballs (Kotletai)
If you grew up in a Lithuanian home, chances are you’ve had Lithuanian Meatballs, or Kotletai, more times than you can count. These simple, tender pork patties are a weeknight staple — easy to make, full of flavor, and always served with something comforting on the side. It’s everyday food that never gets old.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 slice of white bread approx 60g
- 4 tablespoon (50ml) milk
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground pork, a.k.a. pork mince, we used 12% fat pork
- 1 egg medium
- neutral oil for frying
Spice Mix (or 1 tablespoon of pre-made spice blend for pork):
- ½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a drop of oil in a large frying pan. Add the finely chopped onions and saute over low heat for 5-6 minutes, then leave to cool down slightly. Leave the pan off the heat, as you'll use it again to fry the meatballs.
- In the meantime, cut the crusts of a thick slice of white bread. Pour the milk over and leave it to soak for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix all the spices, salt and pepper.
- Add the pork, egg, sautéed onions, spices and squeezed out milk-soaked bread, tearing it up into small pieces. Mix everything very well.
- With your hands, shape 8 meatballs. Traditional Lithuanian meatballs are not round - they are slightly flatter and oblong.
- Heat a little oil in a reserved frying pan. Once hot, add the meatballs, and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned all over.
- Transfer the meatballs into a medium pan with a matching lid (it should fit the meatballs in one or two layers).
- Add water to the pan so that the bottom layer of meatballs is submerged halfway.
- TIP: In Lithuania, we typically pour in any fat and browned bits from the pan meatballs were frying in too.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the meatballs over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure the water hasn’t fully evaporated. Serve with tomato ketchup or sour cream sauce (more side dish and sauce suggestions in the Serving Suggestion section in the text above).