Middle Eastern lamb kofta balls shallow fried in olive oil, served with flatbreads and garlic lemon sauce.
As I grew up in the Middle East my love for Middle Eastern food also grew. The flavours are beautiful, the food is always prepared with the freshest ingredients and the food is healthy too. I love the fact that the Middle Eastern cuisine uses a lot of protein and veg in the food. My favourite thing is the mezze, you know all the amazing dips like Hummus, Mtabbal and Baba Ganoush served with freshly baked pita bread? And then you have all the incredible salads like Tabouleh and Fatoush.
KOFTA
For the main course, it usually includes either meat, chicken or fish. And you probably have heard of and maybe tried Kofta or Kufta before, as it’s a popular dish in South Asia, not just the Middle East. It’s also popular in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and even Russia (called Tiftele) and Romania (Chiftele). Each country, of course, has its own version, and the version that I’m sharing with you today is the Jordanian one.
What is kofta?
Kofta is usually made with minced beef, lamb or chicken or a mixture or beef and lamb. Mixed with diced onions, garlic and herbs. In South Asia, the koftas are usually cooked in curries or sauces, while in the Middle East the koftas are fried in olive oil and served with vegetables or baked in tomato or tahini sauce.
Lamb kofta
The most popular kind of Kofta in Jordan is lamb kofta. This is also my family’s
Jordanian kofta
In Jordan, Koftas are either shaped like meatballs by mixing the ground meat with ground black pepper, salt, diced onion and chopped herbs like parsley and mint leaves. And then fried in olive oil or cooked in tomato or tahini sauce. Another version is by spreading out the meat in a semi-shallow baking pan and topping it with either tomato and possibly potato slices which is then baked in the oven. Or cooking the spreaded kofta or kofta balls with tahini sauce in the oven.
The simplest version is to fry the koftas in olive oil, and eat them with flatbreads and a simple garlic sauce. I love such easy and healthy dishes that I can quickly make at home for a delicious mid-week dinner.
MIDDLE EASTERN VEGAN GARLIC SAUCE (TOUM)
This sauce is very popular in the Middle East and is usually served with Falafel, Shawerma or Sheesh Tawooq. I like to serve it with these simple kebabs. The traditional sauce is made with sunflower or canola oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice, water and salt. All of the ingredients are then added to a food processor and processed until you reach a smooth consistency.
TIP: Make sure that the food processor doesn’t get too hot as sauce might start separating. I use ice cold water to make sure that this does not happen.
The sauce that you can see in the picture is exactly as explained above, but I also added parsley leaves to the food processor and some extra lemon juice.
If you make this recipe, please don’t forget to share your feedback with a rating in the comments below. I hope you enjoy!
Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta Balls
Ingredients
- 1 kg ground lamb
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 15 grams parsley
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until onion and parsley are finely chopped and well mixed with the meat.
- shape the lamb mixture into meat balls. Make sure that the size of the koftas is even.
- In a pan, heat olive oil and fry the Koftas on medium heat until brown on all sides.
- Serve with flatbreads, and garlic sauce.
Kim Styles
Kofta is a great recipe for using the meat from breast of lamb- breast of lamb is so cheap because it is fiddly to get the meat off the bones . but with patience you can get quite a bit off and I then mince it for very cheap Kofta
Laura
These sound and look delicious, plus they’re really healthy too. It is definitely a recipe I will be trying out in the future. Lamb is one of my favourite meats but unless it’s a roast, I’m not very adventurous.
Jane Willis
I love koftas – I’ve never made garlic sauce to go with them though. This looks delicious.
Nicola Andrijauskas
These look delicious! I think my son would love these also and that’s a bonus as he’s really fussy!
olivia kirby
They look super tasty, definitely one to give a go
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
I’m sure my family would love those! (Meanwhile, I’m eyeing that food processor! Haha)
Sarah
These look so simple to make and are packed with flavor! Talk about recipe perfection! Yum!
Lisa|Garlic & Zest
These lamb kofta look so meaty and savory. I’m a big lamb fan, so this is definitely a dish my family and I would enjoy! Pinning for later!
Patty @ Spoonabilities
I love love love Middle Eastern food! I so want to make these! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Chris
I’ve never tried Kofta Balls before but after reading this I’m definitely inspired to give them a go! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dannii
This is something that I always order when at a middle eastern restaurant. Always with tzatziki.
Felesha Bell
Love anything with lamb!!! These meatballs have my name written all over them!! Yum!!
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto
I love the flavors in Middle Eastern cooking! SO GOOD! Spent a few days in Jordan in 2010 and loooved the food there!
Pretty
These look really tasty! I think my boyfriend will like them.
Laura
Oh wow these sounds like they are pretty easy to make, I don’t eat lamb but I do love stuffed pittas! Thanks for sharing
Laura x
Shannon
Middle Eastern food is one of my favorite cuisines! These look delicious and seem easy enough. Can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks!
Kareen John
This is the recipe I need right now. I’ll be making this for dinner this evening.
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
These are right up my street! It’s nice to see an authentic recipe. I will have to give them a go.
Silvia
Those must taste really good, especially with a good sauce or salsa. YUM!!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
That garlic sauce looks incredible – a perfect accompaniment for those tasty kofta balls!
lisa
These look delicious, I love Middle Eastern food too but am still learning about it. I agree, what I love about it is that all the food is so fresh. This food processor looks awesome too!