
Lamb Koftas
So I’ve been a little obsessed with Lebanese food for a while now, particularly lamb koftas. I always thought they were complicated to make but then I saw Gordon Ramsey making it on his Ultimate Home Cooking show and he made it look so darn easy. Like WAY easy. So I gave it a go. And you know what, it WAS that easy. That dude was telling the truth. I actually love that tamer version of Gordon Ramsey – where he’s making like normal-ish food at home and not swearing/freaking out all the time. I spend many a weekend morning learning a thing or two from his show.

I ‘ve been twerking tweaking this recipe on and off for the last half a year, adding a pinch of this and that to get it just so. I actually didn’t change too much except try to make them as efficiently as possible, which involves my trusty food processor. Just add the onions, mint, parsley, garlic and chili flakes to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then you add the mixture to the meat with a few more spices and mix.

I used a cast iron skillet to grill these but I’m sure they’d be great in a frying pan or on the BBQ. These little guys are small and cute and grill up super fast – ready in about 6 minutes cooking time. I enjoy koftas at home with some hummus-y sauce – which is just hummus that I thinned out with some fresh lemon juice. This is the easiest, fastest ‘sauce’ ever and goes great with lamb kofta. A simple salad and/or some rice on the side and dinner is ready. Fresh, fast, simple – ultimate home cooking indeed.

Lamb Kofta
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
- Food Processor
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chilli flakes (optional)
- 500 grams ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper
- Sesame seeds and sumac for garnish (optional)
- Canola or vegetable oil
Hummus 'Sauce'
- 1/4 cup store-bought hummus
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add onion, garlic, mint, parsley and chilli flakes to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add lamb to a large mixing bowl and add onion mixture, cumin, allspice, salt and pepper. Gently mix with a wooden spoon or by hand until combined.
- Form meat into small golfball sized balls and flatten slightly into hockey puck shape. Place on an oiled plate or platter and brush a teaspoon of oil across the tops of the kofta. Place in fridge for 10 minutes or more to allow the lamb to firm up which helps hold it's shape during grilling.
- Prepare hummus sauce. Combine hummus and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until consistency is a bit runny - add more lemon juice if needed. Set aside.
- Heat a large heavy bottomed frying pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan. Place the kofta onto the grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning half way to brown both sides. Remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds and sumac. Serve with fresh lemons wedges and hummus sauce.