Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Sauce

Name: Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 46 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. (500g) ground lamb; 1/2 cup white onions, finely chopped; 2 large cloves garlic, pressed; 1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped; 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped; 2 tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. mild paprika; 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste; freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns); ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste; olive oil, for brushing meat plus coating baking sheet and griddle; 1/2 cup plain yogurt; 1 tbsp. tahini (see Recipe); 1/2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tsp. mint leaves, finely chopped; freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns); 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Author: Francine Lizotte

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Kofta, kafta, keftés, köfte… ?

According to a study done by a private food company, there are 291 different kinds of Kofta and I thought I could add another version – mine!

Now, let’ talk about it…
Kofta is a meatball made with either chicken, beef, mutton, lamb or pork 🐖. The meat is mixed with fresh ingredients, herbs and spices. Depending on the region, the spelling as well as the ingredients may vary.

I was introduced as a teenager to Egyptian food. My father knew a gentleman who was from Cairo and many times when I was visiting my dad – yes, my parents are divorced -, this man was making a dish from his country. There was so much taste in his food, flavors I never thought could go so well together – oh, and some spiciness but not too much that I couldn’t handle it without drinking a liter of milk 🥛 and eating half a loaf of bread (I didn’t really eat spicy food back then).

A few years later, my culinary friend Mario and I found a few Middle-Eastern restaurants in Montréal. After I moved to southern Ontario, I started travelling a lot and one of my favorite spots to go for a few days was New York City 🗽.

While visiting the Big Apple, I discovered a restaurant in the heart of Greenwich Village where they were making awesome food 🤩 from the Middle East. It’s Mamoun’s Falafel and after many years, it’s still around. This is where my passion to cook this incredible cuisine all started.

Many of you know that Egypt and Jordan are on my bucket list. Since childhood, I always wanted to go to Egypt. I have tons of books 📚 on that incredible country and its fascinating ancient history. Because of it, I wanted to become an archaeologist when I got older or a journalist. At least I did one of the two.

When I discovered this little gem in New York (Mamoun’s Falafel), I met a couple from Amman and the way they described their country gave me another reason to want to go to visit that part of the globe 🌍. That is when I added Jordan to my bucket list. Petra, Aqaba, the Dead Sea as well as Wadi Rum are some Jordanian places that are as intriguing as Egypt.

One of their dishes that was easy for me to make 👩‍🍳 besides hummus, falafel and baba ganouj was Lamb Kofta also spelled Kafta or Köfte or Keftés. As I mentioned earlier, it all depends on where it’s from. The way I prepare my Lamb Kofta is more a Jordanian style as compared to other countries.

When it’s not BBQ season or just too cold 🥶 outside to venture out to the grill, I cook them in a skillet and the way I like to serve them is with flatbread and a yogurt sauce or with my homemade tzatziki sauce. Other times when it’s nice and warm outdoors, I put these meatballs in sliders and top them once again with my yogurt sauce or other times with my muhammara.

Some of you might not be big lamb 🐏 fans but this recipe may surprise you! The combination of ingredients along with mint, parsley and other spices gives these meatballs a totally new twist of flavors! David, my husband, is not a lamb type of guy and he loves this dish.

Now that grilling season is here, this is a delicious dish to add to your BBQ recipe folder. At your next backyard party, amaze everyone with these scrumptious Middle Eastern meatballs!
Bon Appétit!🍽

Here are more delicious lamb recipes…😀
– Lamb Chops with Balsamic & Red Wine Reduction
– Greek Dolmades with Avgolemono Sauce
– North African Merguez
– Lamb Keema
– Mediterranean Leg of Lamb
– African Lamb Tagine
– Turkish Kebabs
and for even more BBQ and grilling recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • BBQ & Grilling

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