First, place all the ground beef ingredients in a large bowl, except for the flour and vegetable oil. Mix the ground beef very well until everything is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove the ground beef mixture from the fridge and shape into oblong soutzoukakia, not too large. With these amounts, you’ll get about 30 pieces.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat until hot.

Dredge the soutzoukakia in flour. Once the oil is hot, reduce to medium heat and add the soutzoukakia to the pan.

Fry for about 7–8 minutes, turning to brown on both sides. You may need to increase the heat at the end to get a deeper color.

Remove and place on a platter lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a pot, heat olive oil and add the onion, garlic, and sugar. Cook until the onion is caramelized.

Add the bay leaves, allspice, and cinnamon stick, then the grated tomatoes. Next, add the tomato puree, salt, pepper, and cumin.

Before the sauce comes to a boil, add the soutzoukakia, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for about 15–20 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Your soutzoukakia are ready! Serve with basmati rice!