Kofta sandwiches recipe

Kofta is an Afghani, Azerbijanian, Armenian, Balkan, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Iranian, Arab, and Turkish meatball or meatloaf. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions. Learn how to make this spicy kofta as a sandwich by placing the kofta patty inside the pitta bread.

Makes 6
Preparation 20min
Cooking 10min
Skill level Mid

By
Suzanne Husseini

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp coriander
2 tbsp pomegranate syrup
salt and pepper
500 g minced lamb
¼ cup peanut oil
6 small loaves pitta bread
sliced tomatoes
sliced red onions
mint leaves, to garnish
parsley leaves, to garnish

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Instructions

Put the chopped onion in a bowl along with the parsley. Add the tahini, spices and pomegranate syrup and mix well. Knead the meat into the flavourful mixture. Form into oval patties and set aside until you’re ready to grill them. Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium–high heat. Fry the kofta patties about 4 minutes on each side until they’re cooked through.

To assemble, open up a pitta pocket and place a kofta patty inside. Drizzle on the tahini sauce and add a slice of tomato, onions and some mint and parsley leaves. Serve with the spicy potato wedges.

Recipe from Modern Flavours of Arabia by Suzanne Hussein. Published by Hardie Grant Books.