Traditionally Kofta is made with finely chopped onion minced garlic chopped fresh parsley salt pepper and paprika to taste. My husband makes really good Kofta and that is what he normally puts.
I reviewed all the reviews and then made some more changes this was perfectly yummy! First off I used 1/2 ground beef (80/20) and 1/2 ground lamb (85/15). You want to use meat with a bit more fat on the grill to keep it juicy. The onion is really better if you mince or run through a food processor; I used a Vidalia it was sweet and juicy! I added a cup of chopped cilantro and a 1/2 cup of chopped spearmint from the garden. I added 5 minced garlic cloves; we LOVE garlic! One more addition that makes it taste more authentic to me: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I also added a teaspoon of kosher salt and a teaspoon of pepper. You can see from my photo that I used kabob baskets...I cannot ever get a ground meat kabob to stick to a skewer so these are just necessary for me! (I think I am skewer-challenged!) I did NOT add an egg yolk. I grilled over high heat for 1-1/2 minutes on each of the 4 sides and they were still juicy and medium. Here is the final tip: I did dip my kofta in Sumac! This may be the actual flavor that some are searching for when they want authentic. Ground sumac doesn't taste all that interesting on it's own but when you dip the meat into the powder it brings out all different flavors. That's MY two cents on this recipe from Persia and Egypt and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did; take a look at my photos to see a kabob grilling basket!
I was not happy with the recipe at all it tasted like a meatloaf. So I took the advice of Sister Serena and it was absolutely awesome!! My husband is from Egypt and he said this way was just like home.
WOW! Super easy and super economical. Tastes just like a restaurant!!! I served with a greek salad and some basmati rice. YUM!
Tasted amazing! I only gave this recipe 4 stars because I took advise from serena and added the extra herbs and spices. will make again!
My dear I have never been to the Middle East but your kofta recipe certainly transported me there! A delicious blend of spices and flavors and a simple method of cooking. I did add some paprika and fresh cilantro and the flavors were exotic. I served it with homemade hummus pocket bread and the Eggplant Curry and couscous from the website and WOW! A very picky eater with our dinner guests had thirds! And lots of compliments. Thanks for a superb addition to my recipe collection.
This gets 4 stars only after I changed it quite a bit. I didn't even try the recipe as printed because it looks so bland.I added 3 TB dry chili flakes. 2TB each minced ginger & garlic. 1 small diced red onion. 1 whole egg instead of just the yolk and a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro. I think you would normally do parsley instead of cilantro but I just love cilantro.
My Husband is from Egypt & I am still learning how to cook traditional Egyption foods for him and our 3 years old son He loved this Kofta he said it was right on the money. Thanks
I followed the recipe along with Serena's modifications (thanks!) and they were pretty delicious. My wife is a picky eater and she really liked them as well!
