Serving lamb kofta with all the trimmings
Aromatic and complexly spiced, kofta describes a range of hand-shaped mince meat dishes with origins in the Middle East, the Balkans, South and Central Asia. They're typically made with beef, pork or lamb, grilled on the BBQ and favoured when served between soft pita and with an array of fresh pickles.
Our kofta are a Lebanese-inspired number, combining minced lamb shoulder with fragrant cumin, fresh mint, feta, chilli flakes and lemon zest. The seasoned lamb is then rolled into cigar-shaped patties, ready to be picked up from any of our stores.
While they can be pan-fried, our kofta are best grilled over charcoal and into ghee-slicked flatbreads with plenty of fresh herbs, a generous dollop of Sarafian hummus and Sumac onions. While it's simple, we've developed a step-by-step technique to ensure you have all the elements to feed the crew in style.
Ingredients
Lamb kofta (1-2 per person)
One red onion
Sumac
Pitas
Ghee
A small bunch each of parsley, mint and coriander
Pickled chillies
One jar of Sarafian hummus
Assembling the ingredients
Start by making the sumac pickled onions. Place a finely sliced red onion in a small bowl with a teaspoon of sumac, a pinch of salt and the juice of half a lemon. Leave the mixture to macerate while the other ingredients are prepared.
Pick some leaves from bunches of washed coriander, parsley and mint then set to the side.
Then, remove the kofta from the fridge before the charcoal is lighted for the BBQ.
Lighting the BBQ and cooking the kofta
Using a charcoal chimney, light the coals for the BBQ. Half an hour of heating makes sure these are white hot.
Empty the chimney into the base of the BBQ, mounding the white hot charcoal to one side.
Drizzle the kofta with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking, then place each skewer over the direct heat of the charcoal.
Gently turn the kofta until each is browned on all sides. This process should take around 10 minutes.
Place the kofta on a plate while the pitas are being warmed.
Smear one side of each pita bread with ghee then place each flatbread over the indirect heat of the BBQ to gently warm.
Assembling the kofta
Assemble the kofta by spooning a generous amount of hummus onto the base of each pita bread.
Place a sliced kofta onto the hummus then garnish with the sumac onions, pickled chillies, fresh herbs and a generous spoonful of labne.
Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt, pepper and more sumac.
Roll the pita up to serve then enjoy with a cold beer and plenty of napkins on the side.
