Kofta
Koftas are small meatballs made from minced meat. Most of the time it is a mixture of beef and lamb. You can also often find a combination of pork and beef. I have gone for this combination myself. Originally, I was going to make koftas with beef and lamb, but I was unable to get minced lamb meat anywhere. I had no problem with buying pork, which is why I chose to prepare this version.
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Ingredients for koftas.
- 400 g beef minced meat
- 500 g pork minced meat
- 80 g onion
- 20 g fresh parsley
- 2 big garlic cloves
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons od breadcrumbs
- 2 flat teaspoons of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of chopped mint
How to make koftas.
Place the meat in a bowl. Add the grated onion, finely chopped parsley, mashed garlic, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and finely chopped mint. Knead the meat mixture with your hand. When the mixture comes together, take it in your hands and slap it several times and throw it intensively against the surface of the bowl in order to break the excess air out. Cover the mass with cling film and set it aside for a few hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
Take the meat out of the refrigerator. I can suggest two ways to shape the meat.
- Take some meat in your hand, form a ball of 5-6 centimetres in diameter and gently flatten it. Place a skewer stick in the center of the flattened ball. Wrap the stick in meat and form something like a thick roll.
- Take a small amount of meat in your hand and form a ball of 4 centimetres in diameter. Flatten the ball gently and use two fingers to form two grooves in it. These grooves will allow the fat to melt faster during frying.
Koftas can be grilled or fried in a pan. Heat a non-stick skillet and once hot, reduce the temperature to medium. Put the koftas on the frying pan. Cook on both sides until they are slightly brown.
Serve the koftas with lettuce and vegetables or sauces such as: mustard, ketchup or tzatziki. Koftas also taste great when served in pita bread.
Enjoy!
Good to know when making koftas.
No matter what combination of meats you choose when making koftas, it is important not to rely solely on meat without too much fat like beef. It’s always a good idea to add a piece of fatty meat. Fat helps the koftas to fry. Meat without fat will not cook as well and the koftas will be dry.
Do you look for grilled meat recipes? If so, try our recipe for Chicken kebabs.
