Beef Kofta, which can also be spelled Kefta or Kafta, is a Mediterranean flavored meat mixture. I usually put it on skewers in sausage-like form and serve them as a plate with different mezze or in a pita sandwich.
I remember eating beef kofta in Lebanese restaurants when I was young and the flavors are great!
When you make your meat mixture, don’t work it too much as it makes the mixture dense and heavy. Go lightly until you’ve folder your ingredients into the meat and you’ll have fluffy and light texture.
Personal taste can make certain quantities vary in your beef mixture. If you want spicier, go with more chili, if you want a more tangy flavor, add more ketchup.
Refrigerate your meat for at least an hour to let the flavors blend in and to have a firmer mixture when you make your sausage kebabs on your skewers. Don’t make the kebabs too thick to help them cook quickly and evenly without burning them!
As you will be grilling the meat, make sure that if you use wooden skewers that you put them in a water bath for at least 30 minutes to avoid burning them while you grill your kebabs.
I like to eat my kofta with cold mezze like hummus, tzatziki and fattoush (Mediterranean salad) either straight in a plate or in a pita sandwich.
Ingredients
- 2 lb. beef
- 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp fresh Rosemary, chopped
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2 gloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp Chili flakes
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
- Wood or metal sticks for the kebabs
Instructions
- If using wooden sticks, bathe in water 30 min before using to avoid burning the sticks.
- Mix all ingredients except for the beef in a bowl.
- Add beef and fold the ingredients with the beef until combined
- Put the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour. This will help make the kebabs on the sticks.
- Take the mixture and use your hand to make a flat sausage like shape around your sticks. The mixture should be around an inch thick.
- Heat up your BBQ or grill and cook around 3 min on each side, until the meat is fully cooked. You are looking for char marks!
- Serve the meat with cold or warm mezze like fattoush (Mediterranean salad), hummus and tzatziki.
- You can also eat this in a pita sandwich by adding portions of the mezze above with the meat in a folded pita!