Lamb Kofta with Herbed Tzatziki (2024)

FAQs

What is Greek kofta made of? ›

In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meat – usually beef, chicken, pork, lamb or mutton, or a mixture – mixed with spices and sometimes other ingredients. The earliest known recipes are found in early Arab cookbooks and call for ground lamb.

Serve the koftas with the Persian salad, Tzatziki, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. Have some toasted pitta bread on the side. Finally, drizzle the koftas with some pomegranate molasses, if desired add a last pinch of Maldon Salt.

Put a griddle pan on a high heat. Scrunch the minced lamb and harissa in your clean hands until well mixed. Divide into 6 pieces, then shape into koftas with your fingertips, leaving dents in the surface to increase the gnarly bits as they cook. Griddle for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until sizzling and golden.

No one country can declare themselves to be the creator of lamb koftas! But they're typically associated with the Middle East and Mediterranean countries like Turkey, especially because they're made with lamb which is a common protein associated with the food of that region.

Both kafta and kofta are the same thing: a meatball made with ground meat and mixed with herbs, Middle Eastern spices and onions. In Lebanon it is known as kafta and in other Middle Eastern countries and India it is widely known as Kofta.

Meaning of kofta in English

kofta. noun [ C or U ] /ˈkɒf.tə/ us. /ˈkɑːf.tə/ a South Asian dish of balls of meat, cheese, or vegetables mixed with spices, or one of these balls.

Kofta is a type of "meatball" that originates from the Middle East and India. The word kofta comes from the Persian word kūfta, which means "to beat or to grind," which references the ground meat typically used to make kofta recipes.

Shish kebabs—that's chunks of marinated meat (or vegetables) grilled on a skewer—are really tough to get right, and when not right, they're really tough. Kofte kebabs, on the other hand, are made with minced meat, and thus don't have that problem.

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

IMPORTANT: The koftas are cooked when no longer pink in the middle.

Should lamb kofta be pink inside? ›

OPTIONS for Cooking Lamb Kofta kebabs

Whichever way you choose to cook these, each method takes about the same amount of time to cook through – approximately 15 minutes – but make sure there's no pink mince in the middle before serving.

Cook the koftas, turning every 5 minutes. You want to colour them but not dry them out. They're cooked once they reach 63°C but you might like to take them to 70°C.

How do you keep lamb kebabs moist? The keys to moist kebabs are built right into this lamb skewer recipe. First, the meat is marinated in a puree of onion, garlic, parsley, lemon, allspice, salt, and saffron — this not only imparts tremendous flavor but also tenderizes the lamb while infusing it with moisture.

My koftas are too hard.

Over-handling the meat can result in hard meatballs. Similarly, not enough moisture in the meatballs can make the meatballs tough. Grind and add ¼ onion or a little bit of cilantro to add back the necessary moisture. Not enough fat in the meat can also result in hard meatballs.

Ground meat: I use a combination of lean ground beef and ground lamb or pork. Egg: 1 egg goes into the meatball mixture, and we use an egg yolk to thicken the lemon sauce at the end. Herbs: Fresh mint brightens the recipe while dried oregano provides an earthy element.

The main difference between kofta and kebab lies in their form and method of preparation. Kofta typically refers to ground meat mixed with spices and herbs, shaped into balls or cylinders, whereas kebab generally involves chunks of meat or vegetables skewered and grilled.

Kebab is a generic name for a very broad range of meat dishes, mainly of middle-eastern origins. I think the main essential difference is in the meat being involved: The meat used in Turkish kebabs is mainly lamb, whereas pork is widely used in Greek kebabs.

In a master-level malai kofta dish, you'll find dumplings that are crunchy and crispy on the outside yet creamy and velvety on the inside. After the delicious fried dumplings are dunked in a sweet and lightly spiced curry, they ascend to heavenly status.