Kafta
كفتة مشوية (kafta mashwiyeh): minced lamb and beef with onion, parsley and seven spice, grilled on skewers
Kafta is the everyday grilled mince of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine: a Sunday barbecue staple in the Lebanese mountains and a quick dinner in city flats, cooked on skewers, shaped into fingers for the pan, or baked in a tray with potatoes and tomato. Lamb and beef are mixed with plenty of onion and parsley and warmed with baharat (seven spice). Wrap them in bread with tomato, onion and a smear of hummus or tahini sauce. Chef's tip: grate the onion and squeeze it hard in a clean cloth; dry onion keeps the kafta firm on the skewer and stops it steaming.
- Total time
- 27 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kafta
To serve
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz lamb mince, 10 ½ oz beef mince, 1 onion, 1 oz flat-leaf parsley, 2 tsp Lebanese seven spice (baharat), 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp chilli flakes in a bowl. Knead with your hands for 3 minutes until well mixed and slightly sticky. Wash your hands and the bowl's edges afterwards.
3 minStep 2: Divide into 8 portions. With wet hands, mould each around a flat metal skewer into a sausage about 15 cm long, or shape into fingers to cook without skewers. Chill for 10 minutes if they feel soft. A common mistake is skipping the squeezed onion step: watery mince splits and drops through the grill.
10 minStep 3: Heat a barbecue, griddle pan or oven grill until very hot. Cook the kafta for 8–10 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes, until browned all over and the centre reaches 160°F, with no pink inside.
10 minStep 4: Toss 1 red onion with 1 tsp sumac. Rest the kafta for 2 minutes, then serve with 2 tomatoes, the sumac onion and 4 tbsp tahini sauce or hummus.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kafta take?
- About 27 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of flat-leaf parsley?
- Curly parsley or coriander, same amount.
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