Onion-free Garlic-free

Spiced Lamb Kofta with Herbed Yogurt

Juicy grilled lamb skewers packed with parsley, mint and warm spices, served with a cool lemony yogurt sauce, warm flatbread and lemon wedges.

Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Illustration of Spiced Lamb Kofta with Herbed Yogurt, drawn from its ingredients
Cook's note

Plenty of fresh herbs and warm spices keep the kofta bright and juicy, so there’s no need for any grated aromatics in the mix. Wet hands make shaping much easier, and a firm squeeze around the skewer keeps them from slipping off when you turn them.

Method

  1. Put the lamb, parsley, 1 tbsp of the mint, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, 1 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper in a bowl. Mix with your hands just until evenly combined; overworking makes kofta tough.

  2. Divide into 12 portions. With damp hands, squeeze each one firmly around a skewer into a log about 4 inches long. Chill if you have time, so they hold together on the grill.

  3. Stir the yogurt with the lemon juice, olive oil, the remaining mint and 1/4 tsp salt.

  4. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and brush with oil. Cook the kofta, turning every , for , until well browned and cooked through (160°F / 71°C).

  5. Pile the skewers on a platter with the yogurt sauce, more parsley, warm flatbreads and lemon wedges.

Tap a number to check off a step. Tap a green time to start a timer.

Spiced Lamb Kofta with Herbed Yogurt
Step 1 of 5

Put the lamb, parsley, 1 tbsp of the mint, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, 1 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper in a bowl. Mix with your hands just until evenly combined; overworking makes kofta tough.

Step 2 of 5

Divide into 12 portions. With damp hands, squeeze each one firmly around a skewer into a log about 4 inches long. Chill if you have time, so they hold together on the grill.

Step 3 of 5

Stir the yogurt with the lemon juice, olive oil, the remaining mint and 1/4 tsp salt.

Step 4 of 5

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and brush with oil. Cook the kofta, turning every , for , until well browned and cooked through (160°F / 71°C).

Step 5 of 5

Pile the skewers on a platter with the yogurt sauce, more parsley, warm flatbreads and lemon wedges.

All done

Dig in.

Nice work. Log it, and next time you'll see when you last made it.

esc