Beef Kafta Kebabs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

FAQs

What is kofta seasoning made of? ›

How to Make Kofta. Follow along with these simple procedures to make this amazing Kofta Recipe: In a large bowl mix together the ground meat, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, sumac, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, until combined and then refrigerate.

We call it Kafta in Lebanon and it's also widely known as Kofta in other Middle Eastern countries. It's basically a meatball using either beef, chicken or lamb, mixed with herbs, Middle Eastern spices and onions. All you really need is 4 ingredients: ground beef, onions, parsley and a spice blend similar to all spice.

All you've got to do is use that half onion (or lemon, or potato, or whatever you've got lying around) as a backstop. Place a piece of meat on top of the onion, then stab through it with the skewer. You can stab quickly, forcefully, and efficiently, without any worries.

Traditional kebabs are usually made with cubed meat. Kofta kebabs, on the other hand, are made with ground meat. They're typically made with beef, lamb or a combination of the two. The meat is mixed with fresh herbs, onion, garlic, and warm spices like coriander and cumin.

This deep red spice is the main flavor maker in some traditional Middle Eastern dishes like fattoush salad and musakhan, but it is a versatile spice that can add depth and tang to many things including chicken, fish, and all sorts of salads!

Koftas are found in the traditional cuisines of Armenia, Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Turkey. Kofta is also a popular dish among Assyrian people.

While kofta originated in Persia, it is now enjoyed in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and Greece. In each culture, kofta has been adapted to suit local tastes and ingredients. As a result, there are countless ways to enjoy kofta, making it a delicious and versatile dish.

Both kafta and kofta are the same thing: a meatball made with ground meat and mixed with herbs, Middle Eastern spices and onions. In Lebanon it is known as kafta and in other Middle Eastern countries and India it is widely known as Kofta.

Chances are there's too much fat in the meat and that's why they are not sticking together. It could also be that it is too fine of a grind, a coarser grind for the meat usually results in it sticking a bit better. You could try adding breadcrumbs or flour along with some egg or egg white and see if that works.

Choose the Best Beef Cut for Kabobs

Relatively tender, without a need for extensive marinating, Sirloin (from top to tip) is lean and fits into a balanced diet — plus, it's budget-friendly . Other good beef choices for kabobs are Flat Iron or Strip Steak and even Tenderloin.

How to prepare beef for kebab? ›

Mix the beef, cumin, paprika, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper together in a bowl. Divide the mince mixture into 8 portions and press each portion firmly onto flat skewers, each one around 10–12cm/4–4½in long. Place a non-stick griddle pan over a high heat and brush with a little oil.

Grill steak kabobs over med/high heat for about 8-10 minutes or until you've reached the desired doneness, rotating every 2-3 minutes for even grilling. Remove kebobs from grill and let them rest at least 5 minutes before eating. If you cut into them right away, they will juice out and end up dry.

In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meat – usually beef, chicken, pork, lamb or mutton, or a mixture – mixed with spices and sometimes other ingredients. The earliest known recipes are found in early Arab cookbooks and call for ground lamb.

Allspice is the dried, unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree, or pimento, which is native to Jamaica and much of Central America. The berries are briefly fermented, then sun-dried until brown. Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor.

In a master-level malai kofta dish, you'll find dumplings that are crunchy and crispy on the outside yet creamy and velvety on the inside. After the delicious fried dumplings are dunked in a sweet and lightly spiced curry, they ascend to heavenly status.

Kofta curry is usually tomato-onion gravy further accentuated with yogurt or cream and aromatic Indian spices. Kofta means fried ball which could be of ground meat, vegetables, cottage cheese, grains or lentils, and so on. The fried Kofta balls are further cooked in this gravy.