Beef skewers on a bed of hummus a plate

Beef kofta

Name: Beef kofta
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 red onion finely sliced; 1 lemon juiced; 1 tsp sumac (see notes below); a small handful flat-leaf parsley finely chopped; 450g minced beef (ideally use 20% fat)); ½ onion grated; ½ tsp ground allspice; a small handful flat-leaf parsley finely chopped; ½ tsp lebanese seven-spice or baharat (see notes below); 1 ½ tsp aleppo pepper (see notes below); 25g pine nuts toasted; 2 cloves garlic crushed; 300g hummus (see notes below); flatbreads

John Gregory-Smith

Published: August 9, 2022 at 4:46 PM

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Serves 4

Easy

Total time: 45 mins

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These beef skewers are simple to make and cook fast on a barbecue. Plate them up on a hummus base, then top the meat with a zesty mix of red onion, sumac and parsley

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Make these easy beef kofta kebabs, then check out our lamb kofta, chicken kofta, beef kebabs, adana kebabs and more BBQ skewer recipes.

Ingredients

Nutrition

ONION SALAD

1 red onion

finely sliced
1 lemon

juiced
1 tsp sumac

(see notes below)
a small handful flat-leaf parsley

finely chopped

KEBABS

450g minced beef (ideally use 20% fat))
½ onion

grated
½ tsp ground allspice
a small handful flat-leaf parsley

finely chopped
½ tsp lebanese seven-spice or baharat

(see notes below)
1 ½ tsp aleppo pepper

(see notes below)
25g pine nuts

toasted
2 cloves garlic

crushed

TO SERVE

300g hummus

(see notes below)
flatbreads

Nutrition: per serving

kcal750
fat43.5g
saturates8.3g
carbs49.5g
sugars5.5g
fibre8.7g
protein35.9g
salt1.2g

Method

step 1

Put the sliced onion into a bowl with the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well and leave to macerate for 15 minutes.
step 2

Meanwhile, heat the grill or barbecue to high. Put all the ingredients for the kebabs and a generous pinch of salt into a large bowl and mix well. Form into sausage- shaped patties and thread the meat onto flat skewers (these prevent the meat from turning when you flip them over on the barbecue). You should be able to make 8 kebabs. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until charred and juicy.
step 3

Add the sumac and parsley to the macerated onions and mix well.
step 4

To serve, spread the hummus on a serving dish. Lay the kebabs on top and pile on the onions. Serve immediately with flatbreads.

Recipes extracted from Saffron in the Souks by John Gregory-Smith (£25, Kyle Books).

Saffron in the Souks

Lebanese seven- spice and baharat are both Middle Eastern spice blends. You can buy Lebanese seven-spice in Middle Eastern supermarkets. Buy baharat in larger supermarkets or click here for our homemade recipe. Plus check out our top tips to making perfect hummus.

Aleppo pepper, or pul biber, is flaked mild red Turkish chilli pepper. Buy from Middle Eastern grocers, online or substitute with a pinch of regular dried chilli flakes. Sumac is made from dried berries and adds a sour tartness to recipes.

Discover our best Middle Eastern recipes here...

Authors

John Gregory-Smith

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