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Beef Kofta Plate

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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.
Servings 4
Course Whole Meal
Cuisine Greek inspired

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

  1. Make the tzatziki
  2. Coarsely grate the cucumber.
  3. Place it in your hands, a clean tea towel or some paper towel and squeeze out as much liquid as reasonably possible.
  4. This matters more than it might seem. Leaving all that cucumber water in there can turn thick Greek yoghurt into a watery sauce.
  5. Combine the cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and black pepper.
  6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  7. Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.
  8. If possible, make it 30 minutes ahead so the garlic and dill have time to flavour the yoghurt.
  9. Prepare the onion for the kofta
  10. Finely grate the brown onion.
  11. Squeeze out some of the excess liquid before adding it to the beef.
  12. You still want the flavour and some moisture, but not enough onion juice to make the mixture sloppy.
  13. Mix the kofta
  14. Place the beef mince in a large bowl.
  15. Add the grated onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, oregano, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil.
  16. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.
  17. Don't spend several minutes aggressively kneading it. Once the mixture holds together and the seasoning is distributed, stop.
  18. Shape
  19. Divide the mixture into 8 kofta, about 75 g each.
  20. Shape each portion into a short sausage around 8–10 cm long.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. Rest
  24. Place the shaped kofta in the refrigerator for around 15–20 minutes.
  25. This isn't essential, but it helps them firm up and hold their shape during cooking.
  26. Use the time to make the salad.
  27. Make the salad
  28. Combine the tomato, cucumber and red onion.
  29. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and black pepper.
  30. Toss just before serving.
  31. I wouldn't dress this too early because the salt will start pulling water from the tomato and cucumber.
  32. Cooking the Kofta
  33. You have several good options.
  34. Air Fryer
  35. This is probably how I'd cook them at home.
  36. Preheat to 200°C.
  37. Lightly spray or brush the kofta with oil.
  38. Air fry for approximately 8–10 minutes, turning once.
  39. Then increase to 220–230°C for another 1–2 minutes if they need more browning.
  40. You're looking for a properly browned exterior without drying out the middle.
  41. Frying Pan
  42. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.
  43. Add a small amount of olive oil.
  44. Cook the kofta for approximately 8–10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes so several sides develop good colour.
  45. Barbecue
  46. Cook over medium-high direct heat for around 8–10 minutes, turning regularly.
  47. 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.
  48. Whichever method you use, cook minced beef thoroughly.
  49. Warm the Pita
  50. Heat the pita in a dry frying pan for around 30 seconds per side, or until warm and flexible.
  51. Alternatively, wrap several together and warm them briefly in the oven or air fryer.
  52. 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.
  53. Assemble the Plate
  54. Give each person:
  55. 2 beef kofta
  56. A generous spoonful of tzatziki
  57. Tomato and cucumber salad
  58. 1 warm pita
  59. Lemon wedges
  60. Scatter over some fresh parsley.
  61. Add a little crumbled feta if you want it, although I don't think the plate actually needs it.
  62. Squeeze lemon over the kofta immediately before eating.

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