Lamb Kofta
I’ve not cooked many koftas as I have associated them with cheap canopés. They’ve been served to me cold and tough, not nice at all.
These though are hot, slightly spicy and full of moisture, an absolute delight. They were a really pleasant surprise to everyone, and something we will make again and again.
I used a little trick to cook these without burning the skewers. Not only were the skewers pre-soaked, but I also used the EGGspander system with a half-moon cast-iron grid to cook the skewers on, and a half-moon cast-iron plancha to protect the skewer handles from the direct heat.
Cooking surfaces
BBQ Temperature
Ingredients
For the kofta
- 500g minced lamb – go see your butcher, it’ll be nicer than supermarket mince
- 1 onion, sliced very finely
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Maldon salt
- 15g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
For the Tzatziki
- 1/2 cucumber
- A handful of fresh mint, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp Maldon salt
- 150g Greek Yogurt
For the Greek salad
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1/2 pack feta cheese
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 10 olives, de-stoned
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/5 tsp dried oregano
Equipment
- I use the LetzQ Rotisserie with the LetzQ Carrousel Skewer Set.
Method
For the Tzatziki
This is best made an hour or so before to allow the garlic to mellow and permeate the yoghurt.
- Slice your cucumber 1/2 into two lengthways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds.
- Now dice your cucumber into 3mm chunks and pop into a bowl.
- Add your crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice, mint and yoghurt to the cucumber and mix thoroughly.
For the Kofta
- Pre-soak some bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before you cook.
- Take all of your ingredients and mix in a bowl to combine them thoroughly.
- Form them around your skewers into sausage sized kofta or maybe a little thicker.
- Place them on a plate in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
- Set up your Big Green Egg for a direct cook at 180°C using your cast iron grid. If you have the EGGspander system, I like to use the half-moon cast-iron grid and half-moon cast-iron plancha, using the plancha to protect the skewers from direct heat.
- Cook the koftas, turning every 5 minutes. You want to colour them but not dry them out. They’re cooked once they reach 63°C but you might like to take them to 70°C.
For your Greek salad
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss together gently.
To serve
- Place your kofta on a plate and drizzle with a little tzatziki.
- Serve with your salad.