What’s cooking? World recipes
What’s cooking in Lebanon
Kafta Kofta kebab kebob. There are so many pronunciations for Middle Eastern grilled meat but they are all practically the same thing. Arabs love any excuse to get the grill on. It is after all the most ancient form of cooking. You can’t really have a Barbecue or a grilled meat platter without including some kafta alongside some grilled lamb skewers, shish tawook and garlic sauce known as Toum.
Kafta is the classic Lebanese Kebab made from ground meat. It is mildly spiced and has very finely chopped parsley and onions blended into the mixture.
However it is mostly grilled on charcoals and also incorporated into other famous Lebanese dishes such as kafta bil sanieh (baked kafta in a tray) along side tomatoes and potatoes. Kafta can be made into meatballs and cooked in a tomato stew as with the curiously named ‘Dawoud Basha’ and is usually eaten with some vermicelli rice.
It can also be pressed between two flatbreads known as ‘Arayes’. These are also sometimes cooked on the grill or in a panini maker.
Ingredients
500 g ground beef
1 onion
Handful of parsley approximately 1 cup when chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp seven spice
1/4 tsp salt good pinch
Instructions
1-Finely chop the onion and parsley either in a food processor or by hand
2-In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, spices, salt to the chopped parsley and onions
3-Knead together well until evenly distributed. You can also do this using the food processor until you have a fine texture
4-Shape into patties or around a grilling skewer. You may like to dip your hand occasionally into a small bowl of water to reduce sticking
5-Grill on high heat either on the barbecue or skillet until slightly charred on the outside
Recipe Notes
You can also fry kafta in a skillet wth a little vegetable oil or bake it in the oven.
Lebanon concentrates many flavors and a unique cuisine.
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