Minted Lamb Koftas
Tender lamb koftas flavoured with mint and Middle Eastern spices. Perfect for the bbq / grill or griddling
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
Method
If using bamboo skewers soak them in water for 20 minutes before starting to make your kofta mix; this will prevent them from burning during cooking.
Start by making a panade: Simply tear up half a slice of bread in to small chunks, place in a bowl and pour over 60ml / 1/4 cup milk. Allow to soak for 5 minutes, then gently mash with the back of a fork to form a lumpy paste (see images below).
In a separate bowl add the minced / ground lamb, along with the finely chopped or grated onion and mint leaves, 1 tsp each of ground coriander, ground cumin and baharat spice mix, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and the panade. Add a good pinch of salt and grind in a little pepper and mix with your hands to bring everything together.
Tip: You can chop the onion and mint leaves together in a food processor before you add them to your lamb mix
Divide the meat mix in to four equal pieces, then use your hands to roll each piece in to a long sausage shape, then take a skewer and gently guide it through the length of your kofta.
Heat a bbq/grill or griddle pan and cook the koftas until beautifully browned on the outside and the meat is cook all the way through around 20-25 minutes. I like to serve mine with greek style flatbreads, a Medeteranen salad and a minty yogurt dip.
How to Make the Panade
A panade is a mixture of bread soaked in a liquid, usually milk, which form a paste. The panade helps keep the moisture in the kofta which makes them beautifully tender and prevents them from drying out. If you don't have white bread, you can use 30g (1/2 cup) of dry breadcrumbs with the same amount of milk to make the panade, although you may need to adjust that slightly depending on the breadcrumbs you are using and how much liquid they can absorb. Just remember you are making a thick paste, so it shouldn't be too liquid.
Break 1/2 a slice of bread into pieces, then pour over 60ml (1/2 cup / 4 tbsp) of milk a let soak for 5 minutes.
Once soaked, mash down with the back of a fork to form a lumpy paste. Your panade is now ready to use.
How to Make the Koftas
These lamb koftas are made using a good handful of mint leaves (around 20g / 1 cup), 500g / 1 lb of lamb mince, 1 tsp of baharat spice mix, 1 tsp ground coriander & ground cumin each, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 medium onion, plus a little salt and pepper for seasoning.
Put the onion and mint leaves in a mini food processor and blitz. Alternatively, you can finely chop the onion and mint leaves.
Add the chopped onion and mint to the lamb along with all the other ingredients including your panade and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Mix everything together with your hands, really squish everything so the ingredients distribute evenly and form a ball. You can put this in the fridge until ready to use, I like to chill mine for at least 1 hour as it makes the koftas easier to form. If you're short on time you can put it the mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Divide the kofta mixture into four even pieces and roll into balls.
Gently form into a sausage shape, if it gets wider in one part press on the sides to even them out, then carefully insert skewer through the middle of the kofta. Repeat for the remaining skewers.
Note: this mix is quite soft so the skewer won't be able to support the meat mixture yet; place a spatula underneath them when moving them around for support.
Carefully place your skewers on a bbq/grill or griddle over a medium heat and cook for around 20-25 minutes until cooked all the way through. Make sure you turn the koftas as they cook to brown all sides.
Note: I'm doing mine on a bbq/grill over indirect heat with the cover on to avoid the outside burning, you might need to adjust the timing if using a griddle inside
Serve with flatbreads, a Mediterranean salad and some minty yogurt.
What is Baharat Spice Mix?
Baharat spice mix is a Middle Eastern spice mix, there are many local variations, but it will generally contain paprika, black pepper, cardamom seeds, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Feel free to adjust the spices to your own taste.
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