The British summer of 2024 has been awful, whereas many parts of Europe and the US are locked in a heat wave. But finally today was good enough to fire up my new charcoal barbecue, so I decided to make my Kofta recipe I put together recently for my online cookery class. This dish can be cooked on a barbecue or on a griddle pan just in case the weather does not co-operate.

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. For ultra-tender Kofta patties or kebabs I recommend mincing your meat twice, either by mincing your already-minced meat in a food processor or by asking the butcher to “double-mince” your meat.

Ingredients Makes 4 portions (12 koftas)

15 grams  garlic cloves, finely chopped

12 grams ginger, peeled and finely chopped

40 grams onions finely chopped

10 grams of parsley, picked and chopped

5 grams mint leaves, picked and chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp tomato purée

500g lamb mince

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

1. Soak 4 long bamboo skewers, for 15 mins in cold water.
2. Put the garlic, ginger, onions, parsley, mint, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, tomato purée and fresh coriander in a small food processor. Blitz until everything is finely chopped for about 30 seconds then transfer it to a large bowl.
3. Take the minced lamb and in small batches mince it in a food processor to make it finer. Then add the double minced lamb into the bowl with the spices and herbs. Stir the mixture well, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Form the lamb mixture into 12 equal 45 gram round meatballs making sure there are no cracks or they could break up when cooking.
5. Flatten the meatballs into an oval shape and thread 3 meat balls onto each skewer. Continue until all the mixture has been used so you have 4 skewers.
6. Chill the Kofta Kebabs in the fridge while you prepare the tzatziki and aubergines

Aubergines

2  aubergines (about 400 grams when trimmed)

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

25g butter

4 tbsp Harissa

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas.
2. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways then cut again so each aubergine is in ¼ ‘s lengthwise, so you end up with 8 pieces.
3. Carefully cut away some of the seeds from each piece. Rub the cumin into the flesh side of the aubergine pieces and season with salt and pepper. Then score the aubergine pieces lightly in a cross hatch fashion.
4. Use a non stick frying pan on a medium high heat with 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil. Cook the aubergine in two batches, skin side down for 3 minutes then turn and cook flesh side down until lightly browned.  Transfer to a lightly oiled tray and then repeat the process with the other half of the aubergine.
5. Cook the aubergines in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Turn the oven off and keep the aubergines warm. While the aubergines cooks start your tzatziki.

Tzatziki

200 grams grated cucumber (no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)

160 g Thick plain Full fat Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 grams (2 Tbsp) chopped fresh mint

1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice

5 grams garlic, very finely diced

1. Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
2. Add the yogurt, olive oil, mint, lemon juice, garlic, to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
3. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
4. Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.

 Cooking the Kofta’s

1. Heat your griddle pan or bbq to medium high heat and grill the kofta for about 3 minutes per side, then turn the heat low and cook until they are 75 C and keep warm.

To Serve:

Place a little washed rocket leaves on each plate.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the Harissa and warm gently.

Then spoon onto two pieces of roasted aubergine, repeat with the other plates. Put the kofta kebabs on top of the aubergines and serve with a small dish with Tzatziki. You can also offer flat bread if you wish.

 Lamb Kofta Kebabs withTzatziki ©Kevin Ashton 2024