Turkish Kofta Kebabs
These grilled kofta kebabs are a staple in both Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisines. They are spiced up just right and will be a hit with any side dishes of your family's choice.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground meat
- 4 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons dried coriander
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cheyenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- To the ground meat, add all the ingredients and mix in using your hands.
- Line a large platter with parchment paper.
- To make 3-inch length kebabs, use a ¼ cup scooper, and mold them with your hands.
- Spray cooking oil to assist while molding the kebabs.
- Grill or bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Notes
- To get juicy kofte mixture, avoid using lean meat. Rather, choose beef that is a little fatty (80/20). Otherwise, use a combination of beef and ground lamb. A third option is making pure Turkish lamb kofta kebabs.
- If skewers are unavailable, shape the meat mixture into small burger or meatball shapes as in the recipe card below. Roast them on medium-high heat in the grill or oven.
- For extra flavor, you can prepare the mixture a day ahead and refrigerate it. This reinforces the taste with the warm spices even more.
- In similar recipes, some minced veggies as onions and fresh parsley are added to the kofta mixture. If you choose this version, you have to finely dice the vegetables. Although you can chop them on a cutting board, using the food processor is also a great choice, for it saves time with the same results.