Lamb koftas recipe
Lamb mince is quite high in fat so the koftas won't dry out and will crisp up wonderfully on the grill. Lamb can also take on as much flavour and heat as you want, so don’t be afraid to go big on the spicing. Lemon zest and mint sauce cut through the richness.
Ingredients
- 1 splash of vegetable oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
- 1 tsp coriander (cilantro) seeds
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 800 g lamb belly, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp ras el hanout
- 1 tsp ready-made mint sauce
- 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
- 4 lemon wedges
- 4 pinches coriander (cilantro) leaves
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Lamb
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on the hob and fry the diced onion over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until soft. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, using a pestle and mortar, grind the spices and salt together until you have a fine spice mix.
- Put the lamb mince into a large bowl with the cooled onion, garlic, ground spice mix, ras el hanout, mint sauce, lemon zest and herbs. Mix well with your hands.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each into a sausage-shaped kofta. Lay them on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for 1 hour, to firm up.
- When you are ready to cook the koftas, take them from the fridge. Place on the edges of your hot barbecue to achieve a medium heat – as these koftas tend to release some fat, it’s best not to have them over a direct flame. Cook for around 8 minutes, turning regularly.
- Once cooked, serve the lamb koftas on a platter with lemon wedges and garnish with coriander.
This recipe is from Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Cooking (Bloomsbury Absolute, £22 Hardback). Photography © Cristian Barnett.
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