Lamb Koftas with Mint and Yoghurt Dressing Recipe
Lamb Koftas with Mint and Yoghurt Dressing Recipe
I absolutely loved these lamb koftas for dinner the other night. The lamb was jam packed with flavour from garlic, onion, cumin, chilli and fresh herbs and the dipping sauce was fresh and delicious with cumin and mint. Served in flat breads with an orange and cumin salad it was a real middle Eastern style meal that was healthy, fast and filling.
Lamb mince can be a little hit and miss to buy from the supermarket, particularly if you want it on the lean side so I grabbed some diced lamb with just a dash of fat on it and threw it in my food processor with the large blade and quickly turned it into mince. Also, if you do this you can cook it to your liking instead of making them well done, which is how lamb should be cooked (a little bit pink). If you buy lamb already minced you have to know it’s been through an industrial processor, sitting on a bench, un-refrigerated and this my friends is how you end up with food poisoning if you don’t cook it thoroughly. If you don’t have a food processor just go ahead and buy the minced lamb but make sure you cook it the same as you would if it was beef (well done).
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp cumin
chilli flakes, to taste
500g minced lamb
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves
sea salt & cracked black pepper
Dressing
Small bunch of mint leaves
1/2 tsp cumin
4 tbsp. natural yoghurt
cracked black pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
In a medium fry pan, heat a dash of oil and saute the onion and garlic until tender. Add the cumin and chilli and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Cool slightly.
Put the lamb in a bowl with the onion mixture and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper. With oiled hands, shape the mixture into patties the size of golf balls, flattening slightly.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
Heat the fry pan over medium heat and cook the lamb on each side for 3-4 minutes.
Serve warm with the dressing.
Dressing: Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 tsp cumin
- chilli flakes, to taste
- 500g minced lamb
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves
- sea salt & cracked black pepper
- Dressing
- Small bunch of mint leaves
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 4 tbsp. natural yoghurt
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium fry pan, heat a dash of oil and saute the onion and garlic until tender. Add the cumin and chilli and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Cool slightly.
- Put the lamb in a bowl with the onion mixture and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper. With oiled hands, shape the mixture into patties the size of golf balls, flattening slightly.
- Refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Heat the fry pan over medium heat and cook the lamb on each side for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve warm with the dressing.
- Dressing: Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Carolyn Murphy
Carolyn Murphy is a married mother of three and regularly provides us with recipes and strange but true stories about her life. When she’s not here, she can also be found on her website pinkpostitnote.com where all her other recipes are located!
