Egyptian Kofta
Overview
Kofta is minced meat, seasoned and shaped by hand, and it runs across an enormous stretch of the world: from the Balkans through Turkey, the Levant and Egypt, across the Arabian peninsula, into Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and along the North African coast. The Egyptian version is lamb or beef with onion, parsley, mint and a warm spice mix, moulded onto skewers and grilled. Its written history is old. Recipes appear in the earliest surviving Arab cookbooks, where large ground lamb meatballs were glazed in saffron and egg yolk, a technique that later reached Europe and was known there as gilding or endoring. From the Arab world it travelled east, and nargisi kofta was served at the Mughal court in India. In Egypt, kofta belongs to the grilled meat restaurants that exist in every town, where it is cooked alongside kebab, grilled chicken and tarb and served with rice, bread and salad. The distinction Egyptians draw between kofta and kebab is worth knowing: kebab is cubed meat on a skewer, kofta is minced meat shaped by hand. It is essentially sausage without a casing, and the comparison to a hamburger, sometimes made, misses that it is almost never served in bread.
AFN Heritage Note
Recipes for kofta appear in the earliest surviving Arab cookbooks, describing ground lamb meatballs glazed in saffron and egg yolk, a technique that reached medieval Europe as gilding. The dish spread from the Arab world across the Balkans, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and North Africa, appearing at the Mughal court as nargisi kofta.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Combine the minced lamb, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, chilli flakes, paprika, ginger, cumin and coriander in a bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand until the seasoning is evenly distributed and the mixture holds together.
- 2
Shape small handfuls of the mixture into short sausages and slide them onto metal skewers, or soaked bamboo skewers.
- 3
Place them on a lined baking tray and refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes.
- 4
Heat an oiled barbecue plate to high. Place the koftas on the surface and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.
- 5
Transfer to a tray and cover with foil. Rest for 5 minutes and serve with salad, bread and other sides.
Africook’s Notes
- Work the mixture properly by hand. Kofta needs the mince to become slightly sticky so it grips the skewer, and a loosely combined mixture falls off in the heat.
- The 20 minutes in the fridge is what sets the shape. Skewers that go straight from the bowl to the grill will sag and drop.
- Grate or very finely dice the onion and squeeze out the excess liquid. Wet onion is the most common reason kofta falls apart.
- Sear on high and then cook through on low. High heat throughout burns the outside before the middle is done.
- Rest it covered for 5 minutes before serving. Kofta straight off the grill loses its juices onto the plate.
Reviews
3 reviews
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chale the fresh mint with the cumin gives it such a nice aroma. i chilled mine in the fridge for 30 mins instead of 20 just to be sure the lamb wouldnt fall off the bamboo skewers on the hot plate. came out very juicy paa, my uncle who lived in Cairo for two years said it brought back good memories oo
Made this yesterday with fresh halal lamb. The ginger and crushed garlic balanced the gamey smell of the meat proper. Only thing is 20 minutes on low heat was a bit too long for my barbecue plate, it almost dried out sha. Next time I will do 12 to 15 mins max. But e sweet no be small thing o.
This took me back and it tasted like home. Bookmarking this one.