Not only did Mark from Dingle Cookery School have a tasty recipe for lamb koftas, he also revealed to Mairead that he used to be a terrible cook!
If lamb isn't for you, you can easily swap it out for pork and still have a delicious dinner.
Lamb Koftas, Mint Yogurt in Pitta Bread (Serves 4)
Preparation time 10-15 minutes. Cooking time 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients
For the lamb koftas:
- 700g lamb mince
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- 2 tsp. cumin toasted and ground
- ½ tsp. nutmeg grated
- 1 egg
- small bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- small bunch of mint leaves finely chopped
- salt and pepper
For the yogurt:
- 1 garlic crushed
- handful of mint leaves chopped finely
- 200ml natural yogurt
To serve:
- 1 pitta bread per person
- red onion sliced, soaked in water for 20-30 mins
- handful of salad leaves
Method
For the koftas:
- Add a little oil to a pan over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic and pinch of salt. Place this a bowl and add in the spices. Once this has cooled add this to the lamb mince along with an egg. Add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.
- Mix this really well. To check if the seasoning is to your liking, place a pan on over medium to high heat, add a little oil then add a small bit of the mixture. Cook it for about 5 minutes. Taste it, and adjust the seasoning to the mixture if needed.
- Take some of the mixture and roll it into a small oval shaped ball and place this on a tray. Repeat until all of the mixture is gone. If you have time cover the tray with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, this will help them keep their shape when cooking. If you don’t have time, don’t worry carry on and be gentle with the koftas when cooking them.
To cook:
- Place a pan on over medium to high heat, once hot add a little oil then add the lamb koftas to the pan, try not to over crowd the pan. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of them. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t leave them on the pan to cook as they will dry out.
- If you are cooking more than can fit in your pan, you can brown them on the pan and transfer them to a tray and finish cooking in the oven (190ºC) for 10-15 minutes.
For the mint yogurt:
- In a bowl mix the garlic, mint, yogurt and lemon juice, add a little salt if needed.
- Place the flatbread in an oven at 180º C for about five minutes before serving.
To serve
- Toast the pitta breads and carefully open them with a knife. Add some koftas inside the pitta, red onion and then generously drizzle some mint yogurt over, you can serve it as it is or roll it up to form a kebab.
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