Grilled Lamb Kofta
Spiced ground lamb molded onto skewers and grilled until charred and juicy. Served with yogurt sauce and fresh herbs for a vibrant Middle Eastern favorite.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 24g
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground lamb
- ¼ medium onion
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or mint, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Cut the onion in half from root to tip, then place the flat side on the cutting board and slice crosswise into thin half-rings about the thickness of a toothpick, so they'll disappear into the meat when cooked.
- 2
Finely chop the onion pieces until they are smaller than grains of rice—about pencil-tip dots—so they bind into the lamb mixture.
- 3
Place the ground lamb, minced onion, cumin, coriander, 0.5 teaspoon salt, and 0.25 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.
- 4
Use your hands to gently squeeze and mix the lamb with the spices and onion for about 30 seconds until just combined—do not overmix or the kofta will become tough and dense.
- 5
Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and place them on a cutting board or plate.
- 6
Wet your hands with cold water to prevent sticking, then press one portion of lamb around a metal skewer, molding it into a long sausage shape about 5 inches long and 1.25 inches thick, tapering at the ends.
- 7
Repeat with the remaining 3 portions, spacing each kofta on its own skewer.
- 8
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and wait until you can hold your hand 4 inches above the grates for only 3–4 seconds before the heat forces your hand away.
- 9
Place the skewers directly on the grill grates and cook without moving them for 4 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned with charred edges.
- 10
Use tongs to turn each skewer a quarter turn and cook for another 3 minutes until the next side is browned.
- 11
Turn the skewers a quarter turn again and cook for 2 more minutes, then make the final quarter turn and cook for 1–2 minutes until the kofta is cooked through—the meat should be gray inside with no pink when you cut into the thickest part.
- 12
Spoon the yogurt onto a serving plate or into a small bowl, creating a shallow well in the center.
- 13
Carefully slide the kofta off the skewers with a fork, letting them rest on top of the yogurt.
- 14
Scatter the chopped parsley or mint over the kofta and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Tools you’ll need
- medium mixing bowl
- metal skewers (4)
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- grill or grill pan
- tongs
- fork
- serving plate or bowl
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