A Mediterranean-style plate built around beef kofta seasoned with garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano and parsley. Serve the kofta with homemade tzatziki, a simple tomato and cucumber salad, warm pita and lemon for a complete meal that’s fresh enough for lunch but substantial enough for dinner.
Beef Kofta Plate
Ingredients
- Beef Kofta
- 600 g lean beef mince
- ½ small brown onion finely grated
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Tzatziki
- 250 g Greek yoghurt
- ½ Lebanese cucumber
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
- ¼ tsp salt
- Black pepper
- Tomato & Cucumber Salad
- 250 g tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 Lebanese cucumber chopped
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- Black pepper
- To Serve
- 4 pita or flatbreads
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- Fresh parsley
- Optional crumbled feta
Method
- Make the tzatziki
- Coarsely grate the cucumber.
- Place it in your hands, a clean tea towel or some paper towel and squeeze out as much liquid as reasonably possible.
- This matters more than it might seem. Leaving all that cucumber water in there can turn thick Greek yoghurt into a watery sauce.
- Combine the cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and black pepper.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.
- If possible, make it 30 minutes ahead so the garlic and dill have time to flavour the yoghurt.
- Prepare the onion for the kofta
- Finely grate the brown onion.
- Squeeze out some of the excess liquid before adding it to the beef.
- You still want the flavour and some moisture, but not enough onion juice to make the mixture sloppy.
- Mix the kofta
- Place the beef mince in a large bowl.
- Add the grated onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, oregano, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.
- Don’t spend several minutes aggressively kneading it. Once the mixture holds together and the seasoning is distributed, stop.
- Shape
- Divide the mixture into 8 kofta, about 75 g each.
- Shape each portion into a short sausage around 8–10 cm long.
- Flatten them slightly rather than making perfectly round cylinders. That gives you more surface area for browning and makes them easier to cook evenly in a pan or air fryer.
- You can also shape them around skewers, but for an ordinary weeknight dinner I wouldn’t bother unless you’re grilling them over a barbecue.
- Rest
- Place the shaped kofta in the refrigerator for around 15–20 minutes.
- This isn’t essential, but it helps them firm up and hold their shape during cooking.
- Use the time to make the salad.
- Make the salad
- Combine the tomato, cucumber and red onion.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Toss just before serving.
- I wouldn’t dress this too early because the salt will start pulling water from the tomato and cucumber.
- Cooking the Kofta
- You have several good options.
- Air Fryer
- This is probably how I’d cook them at home.
- Preheat to 200°C.
- Lightly spray or brush the kofta with oil.
- Air fry for approximately 8–10 minutes, turning once.
- Then increase to 220–230°C for another 1–2 minutes if they need more browning.
- You’re looking for a properly browned exterior without drying out the middle.
- Frying Pan
- Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add a small amount of olive oil.
- Cook the kofta for approximately 8–10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes so several sides develop good colour.
- Barbecue
- Cook over medium-high direct heat for around 8–10 minutes, turning regularly.
- This is probably the best option if you’re already using the barbecue because a little char works extremely well with the cumin, oregano and beef.
- Whichever method you use, cook minced beef thoroughly.
- Warm the Pita
- Heat the pita in a dry frying pan for around 30 seconds per side, or until warm and flexible.
- Alternatively, wrap several together and warm them briefly in the oven or air fryer.
- I prefer them soft rather than crisp for this meal because I want to be able to tear pieces off and wrap them around the kofta.
- Assemble the Plate
- Give each person:
- 2 beef kofta
- A generous spoonful of tzatziki
- Tomato and cucumber salad
- 1 warm pita
- Lemon wedges
- Scatter over some fresh parsley.
- Add a little crumbled feta if you want it, although I don’t think the plate actually needs it.
- Squeeze lemon over the kofta immediately before eating.
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