Minted lamb and mushroom kebabs

Chef Hassan M’Souli from Sydney's Out of Africa introduces this recipe for Moroccan minted lamb and mushroom kebabs. The couscous and asparagus dish is a great example of a Middle-Eastern salad that's easy to prepare (it can be made the day before and refrigerated), and versatile as you can replace the lamb with beef. The combination of mint and yoghurt gives the dressing a fresh taste.

• serves

  4

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup mint leaves
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh only
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 600 g boneless lamb fillet or steaks, cut into 2 ½ cm cubes
• 32 small button mushrooms (about 3cm across)
•  ½ cup sliced spring onions
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 metal or wooden skewers
• couscous, asparagus and chickpea salad, to serve
• yoghurt, mint and sultana dressing (see below), to serve
• ground sweet paprika, to garnish

Yoghurt, mint and sultana dressing (makes about 1 ½ cups)

• 1 cup natural yoghurt
• ½ cup mint leaves
•  ½ cup sultanas
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp white pepper

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Chilling time 20 minutes

Instructions

To make the lamb marinade, combine the mint and preserved lemon in a food processor or blender, process to a paste, add olive oil and process to combine. Place the lamb, mushroom and spring onions into a shallow dish. Spoon the marinade over. Season with pepper, toss gently to combine, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To make the dressing, process the yoghurt, mint and sultanas in a blender until smooth and creamy. Stir through the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan to medium-high heat. Thread the meat and mushrooms alternately onto skewers. Barbecue or grill the kebabs, turning and brushing with any remaining marinade frequently for 8 minutes or until cooked.

Serve hot on a bed of couscous, asparagus and chickpea salad, drizzle with yoghurt, mint and sultana dressing. Garnish with sweet paprika.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Michelle Noerianto.

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.