Kofta Meatballs

I am always shocked at how fast these disappear when served to friends. It’s always a little painful to watch people politely argue over who gets the last one. This recipe feeds a crowd. They are also delicious reheated as leftovers. You almost can’t make too many of these.

Notes:

Mixing the ingredients:

Do not overmix the meat with the other ingredients! You want a heterogenous mixture, where everything is evenly distributed, but if you mix the meat too much, you end up with a pink mush that will result in a dense, unpalatable meat ball. See the video below which demostrates how to fold the ingredients together without making meatball mush.

The Salt Monster

Kofta Meatball

A delicious mixture of ground beef, lamb, and Mediterranean spices

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 medium red onion
• 4-5 green onions, chopped (about one cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4-5 cloves peeled garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup olive oil for frying

Method

 

To make meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Place a large oven proof platter in the oven.
2. Add all ingredients to large mixing bowl. Mix until combined, but do not over mix! I gently fold the ingredients over each other multiple times until the onions, egg, and spices are evenly distributed.
3. Pour 2-3 tablespoons oil in skillet and heat over medium high heat. Gently shape meat mixture into 2 inch patties and place in sizzling oil.
4. Fry until deeply browned then flip over and fry the other side.
5. Once both side are well browned, add to the platter in the preheated oven to finish cooking and keep warm while you fry the remaining meatballs.
6. Serve with tzatziki or alone. My kids will only eat them with ketchup, but I'm hopeful that it's only a temporary phase. In fact, they want to eat everything with ketchup now that I think about it….