Type "Kofta recipe" into Google and see how many different cultures claim it as theirs: Greek, Turkish, Indian, Lebanese... the list is larger than that, I assure you. For me, kofta will always mean onion-y meat balls in a cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce topped with a runny poached egg.
I first had something similar at Bedouin Kitchen in Melbourne, and lately I've been making it at home, based on a recipe from Greg Malouf. I know you're supposed to use ground lamb for kofta - it's just that it's hard to come by decent ground lamb here, and I happen to have an embarrassing quantity of ground beef in the freezer, so ground beef is what I've been using (and honestly, I quite like it).
This is a great savoury, saucy dish for winter. It's exotic enough to be impressive for a dinner party and looks smashing served up in teeny little individual lidded casseroles. The cinnamon makes a divine smell when you lift off the lid, allowing the steam to billow out.
I like to serve this with a gorgeous creamy feta, tzatziki & garlic mashed potato and a tangy fattouche salad and a stack of warm, fresh pitas to sop up all that gorgeous sauce. In the photo above, there was no poached egg, but I do generally serve it with a quivering egg perched on top, ready to ooze creamy yolk all over the top of the sauce.
(adapted from Greg Malouf's Arabesque)
For the meatballs:
- 500 g ground beef, lamb or a combination
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced (I just whiz mine in the food processor)
- 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper
- canola oil for frying
for the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 large yellow onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (796 ml) can pureed/crushed tomatoes
- 1 (398 ml) can diced tomatoes
- 2.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup corriander, chopped
- 6 eggs
Meatballs: Combine all meatball ingredients, other than the oil, in a large bowl and use your (clean) hands to squish all the ingredients together until the meat is sticky and pasty and well combined. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Fry meatballs on medium-high heat until well browned and thoroughly cooked. The better cooked they are the better they will hang together in the sauce. Set aside
Sauce: In a large pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium high heat, saute onions, garlic and spices several minutes until they begin to colour and soften, stirring often.add remaining ingredients (except herbs and eggs) and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 5 more minutes. Make six depressions in the top of the sauce with the back of a soup spoon. Break the eggs gently into the depressions, place the lid over the sauce and eggs and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the eggs are set but yolks are still runny. Sprinkle the fresh herbs over ands serve straight from the pot.
I make a similar dish often; it's always delicious. And I like to add some mint into the sauce.
Posted by: Lydia | February 25, 2008 at 10:45 PM
I love meatballs of any kind and these look terrific. So comforting... Thank you for sharing that.
Posted by: Aran | February 26, 2008 at 05:47 PM
Hello Lynne! The dish looks delicious! I am Greek, the recipe (we call is soutzoukakia) I have is very similar to this, but without cinnamon and coriander, only cumin (I will try it with coriander, though). You can also put cumin in the meat balls. We typically serve it with rice, and sometimes (children love this!) on top of overcooked spaghetti (he he, I know it's not gourmet, but it's real comfort food). Finally, a more healthy variation is to bake the meatballs in the oven for total ~25 min (you have to turn them after 15 min, though, to cook thoroughly).
P.S. In the summer you can make the meatballs without cumin but with mint as already mentioned, fry them in olive oil and serve them with french fries.
Posted by: Katerina | February 27, 2008 at 01:06 PM
Hello. We have used ground lamb from Paradise
Halal meat & deli often and is always fresh and high quality. Just another option to try!
Posted by: John | February 27, 2008 at 10:00 PM
The aroma must have been tantalizing with all those savory seasonings.
Posted by: Susan from Food Blogga | February 29, 2008 at 06:28 AM
it's 7:30am and this has got my mouth watering! delicious!
Posted by: abby | March 12, 2008 at 01:28 AM
Thanks for this kofta recipe. I'll be trying it out soon.
I just did a grilled kofte and this saucy one looks delicious!
Cheers,
js
[eatingclub] vancouver
Posted by: [eatingclub] vancouver | April 19, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Winter in over, and the days here are warmer, but it does not mean I won't try this recipe.
It looks like it's somewhat complicated, and should take a while to prepare, so maybe I'll prepare it next Friday when I have some free time.
Posted by: Azriel Lider | May 16, 2008 at 01:15 AM
Winter in over, and the days here are warmer, but it does not mean I won't try this recipe.
It looks like it's somewhat complicated, and should take a while to prepare, so maybe I'll prepare it next Friday when I have some free time.
Posted by: Azriel Lider | May 16, 2008 at 01:16 AM
this recipe is a classic, its one of my favoutites but i never use eggs in the meat mixture maybe next time i will do that
Posted by: wael | July 31, 2008 at 01:19 AM
Hi!
Köfte as we call it in Turkey is a popular meal. I can count more than 60 varities, but generally the method includes breadcrums. Without breadcrumbs the meat balls becomes so rubber-like that suitable for playing squash.
Ideal recipe for a kilo of meat includes 700 gr of lean veal and 300 gr of fatty lamb (never mutton or else). Minced flesh than mixed with onions as you did (chopped beyond recognition) and same amount by mass (not weight) breadcrumbs. Stale bread is always prefferred as crumbs easily. White wheat bread is ideal as multigrain breads never give the fine texture.( Onions and bread crumbs give the delicate texture and softness to the final product). We don't use cinnamon, instead freshly ground black pepper, allspice, cumin are used, in some regions garlic is also added. However garlic makes it rubbery too. Egg is the binder and adding a little olive oil is fine. To roll the meatballs into shapes leave the mince mixture in the fridge to settle at least an hour and wet your hands to avoid stickiness before shaping. As the flavour improves if left over night, it is custom to fridge it.To avoid balls to stick each other dip the balls in an oil of your choice before packing them. Finally in Turkey the round meatballs only used in tiny forms for yoghurt soup. Infact the cooking style dictates the shape, flat oval shapes suitable for shallow pan frying or grilling,ovenbake, cigar shapes for deep frying.
Posted by: ayhan | August 12, 2008 at 02:57 AM
It is really fun to browse for different recipes, I am learning a lot and also thanks for sharing your ideas because at the same time I am also trying my best to learn how to prepare (decent meals :-) Busby SEO challenge
KabonFootPrint
Posted by: Busby SEO challenge | August 27, 2008 at 05:38 AM
very informative details thanks for that, nice article
Posted by: Busby SEO Test | November 11, 2008 at 05:56 AM
Your article was wonderful, and I have share it with my friends!
Posted by: Cheap Ghd Straighteners | June 13, 2010 at 01:49 AM
Your article was wonderful
Posted by: p90x reviews | June 19, 2010 at 03:32 AM
This kind of shoes are very especial and beautiful. I recommend it to you. Hope you like it!
Posted by: ugg boots | July 08, 2010 at 08:39 PM
This kind of shoes are very especial and beautiful. I recommend it to you. Hope you like it!
Posted by: mbt shoes | July 08, 2010 at 09:03 PM
When an end is lawful and obligatory, the indispensable means to is are also lawful and obligatory .Do you understand?
Posted by: lacoste shoes | July 22, 2010 at 12:50 AM
We turn our attention away from our own defects, and when we are forced by untoward events to consider them, find it easy to condone them.
Posted by: Gucci Handags | July 28, 2010 at 03:34 AM
Looks wonderful. Great reading your post as well.Thanks.
Posted by: Mary - Tortillas | July 29, 2010 at 04:28 AM