Africola's lamb kofta

I love the flavours of the spiced lamb kofta paired with garlicky preserved lemon and smoky baba ganoush. I like to add black seaweed pearls for a umami hit and pumpkin seeds tossed in sumac for crunch, but you can leave these out.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Lamb kofta

• 500 g minced lamb
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sumac, plus extra to garnish
• 1 tsp Madras curry powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 8 metal skewers (see Note)
• oil, for cooking

Preserved lemon dressing

• 125 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• ½ preserved lemon, rind only, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated 

 

• baba ganoush, to serve
• roasted eggplant, to serve
• toasted pumpkin seeds, tossed in sumac, to serve
• black seaweed pearls (optional), to serve
• warmed flatbreads, to serve

Instructions

For the koftas, place all the ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl and mix until well combined.

Divide into 8 balls, then roll each ball on a workbench with a cupped hand to form into long ovals.

Thread the kofta onto skewers and lightly brush with oil.

Heat a chargrill pan or barbecue to high. When you can feel the heat rising from the pan, cook the kofte for 3-4 minutes each side. Don’t turn until they are well sealed or the meat will stick to the pan. Season, if you like.

For the preserved lemon dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a shallow bowl. 

Dip the hot koftas in the dressing. 

Serve the koftas, with the baba ganoush and roasted eggplant. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds and seaweed pearls and serve with flatbread.

Chef's notes

• Choose skewers that are flat rather than rounded as the meat will mould onto the skewers better. 

Duncan Welgemoed is the head chef at Africola. This recipe is from The Chefs' Line - a brand new series airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Can the passion of a home cook beat the skills of a professional chef? Missed all the action? Catch-up online and get all the recipes #TheChefsLine.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.