Kebabs (kofta) with minced lamb
Kebabs with minced lamb is a richly aromatic dish originating from the culinary heart of southeast Turkey. These skewered kebabs are crafted with spiced minced lamb and griddle-grilled to perfection. They’re juicy and deeply flavorful. It's fantastic wrapped in pita, slathered with garlic yogurt or “tzatziki”, and topped with tangy onion salad.
Ingredients
For the kofta
- 900 grams minced lamb from the leg, (or 600 grams lamb and 300 grams beef)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp of allspice
- 1 tsp fenugreek, ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder
- 1 tsp sumac, and extra for sprinkling
- Pita bread, for serving
For the garlic yoghurt
- 400 grams full-fat yoghurt
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 10 mint leaves
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put the minced meat in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients for the kofta. Mix very well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. The minced meat needs time in the refrigerator to firm up and absorb all the wonderful aromas of the spices.
- Remove the minced meat from the refrigerator. Thread 8 kebab sausages onto wooden skewers (use 2-3 skewers for each kebab), pressing firmly with your hands so that the sausages are well and tightly secured on the skewers. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a griddle pan. Cook the kebabs, 2-3 minutes on each side until JUST cooked. Transfer in a platter and keep warm.
- Mix all the ingredients for the yogurt in a bowl. Serve the kebabs in pita bread with onion salad and garlic yogurt.
Notes
Kebabs with minced meat are usually cooked on skewers with a flat surface. If you want to use regular skewers and find it difficult, you can grill them directly on the grill as you would grill burgers. Simply keep them long and thin so that you can serve them in pita bread.