Kebab, kabob, kofta – whatever you call this, it’s fragrant, it’s exotic, and it’s fantastic for midweek because it’s something different but so easy and fast to make. And perfect for summer grilling! These Lamb Kofta Kebabs are adapted from a recipe by Efendy, a popular Turkish restaurant in Balmain, Sydney.
Serve these with store bought or homemade Flatbreads and a side of Pilaf or a spiced Middle Eastern Lentil Rice would be wonderfully on theme!
Turkish Lamb Kofta Kebabs
I was watching the latest Food Safari series called Fire the other night which showcases food from around the world cooked over charcoals and in wood fired ovens. I have neither a charcoal grill nor a wood fired pizza oven, but when I saw these Turkish lamb kofta kebabs, I knew straight away that these would be still be fabulous made on the stove or on an ordinary gas BBQ.
I’m really fond of my Middle Eastern Kebabs, but they require more spices than these! So this easy recipe really appealed to me. They really did take 30 minutes to make, from start to finish.
A simple Turkish Spice Mix
The original lamb kofta kebab recipe is made using a combination of veal and lamb mince (ground meat) plus lamb fat. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even know where to get lamb fat here in Sydney!
So to make this midweek, I made a few alterations. I kept the spice mix the same – super simple, just pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes. But I added extra flavour by adding onion and garlic to compensate for the absence of lamb fat.
I know, I know, onion and garlic isn’t the same as lamb fat but they definitely do add extra flavour!!
The original lamb kofta kebab recipe calls for pistachio nuts too, which I included because I happened to have them in my pantry. Only because I visited a Middle Eastern grocery a few weeks before and got overly excited by how cheap the pistachios were!
They definitely add an extra layer of flavour and richness into the lamb kofta kebabs. But these are worth making even if you don’t have pistachios. Truly. – Nagi x
Serve this Lamb Kofta Kebab with…
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Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)
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Flatbreads (homemade or store bought), shredded lettuce, tomato and onion slices
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And/or a pilaf – these will go very well with these Koftas:
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Middle Eastern Lentil Rice Pilaf (Mejadra – one of my personal favourites!)
And another Turkish street food favourite – Gozleme!
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Turkish Lamb Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients
Kebabs
- 1 lb / 500g lamb mince (ground lamb) (or substitute with beef)
- 1 small onion , grated or minced using a food processor - about 1/4 cup (white, brown or yellow) (Note 1)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1/4 cup pistachio nuts , ground (Optional. I use my food processor) (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (table salt, not flakes, use 2 1/2 tsp if using kosher or sea salt flakes)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Yoghurt Sauce
- 3/4 cup plain yoghurt (I use Greek)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 garlic clove , minced
- Salt and pepper
To Serve
- Pita bread or lebanese flat bread , warmed
- Lettuce leaves of choice
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced red onion
Instructions
- Mix together Yoghurt Sauce ingredients and place in the refrigerator to allow the flavours to develop.
- Place the Kebab ingredients except the oil in a bowl and use your hands to just combine (don't over mix).
- Divide into 8 portions and mould onto skewers.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add skewers (I could fit all in, placing them in alternating directions) and cook for 8 minutes, turning to brown all sides.
- Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and red onion.
- Serve kebabs with pita bread, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and yoghurt sauce on the side. Wedges of lemon are also a great accompaniment.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When yogurt got flung on his nose…
My husband is Turkish and he loved this recipe! I used beef mince instead and tasted delicious. I made the mistake of adding the oil to the mix so I wasn’t able to used skewers so I just molded them and it turned out fine
Great kebabs! but I think 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes was too much, should be less than that. It turned out too spicy and I am a regular spice eater.
Delicious recipe. Made it as per the recipe but without the red pepper flakes and I rolled little balls and threaded them on my skewers rather than moulding a continuous piece. My only error was not having made double to feed my family who were fighting over them!
My family are fussy not keen on new things. They all loved this recipe, kept the onion and garlic and pistachios in and it was delicious.
Hi I was just wanting to know can I make the mixture and then freeze uncooked for cooking later on ? we are going camping and this would be a great meal over the fire .
Cheers Deanna
I think they would freeze fine Deanna – you would want to shape them before freezing! N x
I made the kebabs without the pepper flakes. Easy and nice. 8 yo liked them too. I also made some meatballs using the same recipe. This one is a keeper for us.
Forgot to add I used beef mince and not lamb.
I reduced the chili flakes to half a Tbsp and we still nearly blew our heads off with 500gm lamb mince. Are red pepper flakes and chili flakes not the same thing maybe ? Otherwise tasted great. Would def make again with 1 tsp or 1/4 Tbs chili flakes though.
Chili can vary greatly in heat Amanda, even the dried ones! Taste a bit next time before adding then add a little bit at a time. N x
Just wondering if it really is one tablespoon of red pepper flakes, or should be maybe one teaspoon? I made these with a kilo of lamb mince and cut the amount of chilli down to just over a tablespoon and it was still pretty fiery!
Hi Bernie, yes that’s correct but you can always cut down to suit your personal preference. N x
Great success. It was my first time to cook kofta. I was very impressed with this very easy to follow recipe. If I could add some photos, that would be great.
These taste EXACTLY like my local Turkish restaurant’s koftas, utterly yum! I served them over rice and a sprinkling of sumac with griddled aubergine, courgette and peppers on the side. Hi Dozer!
Tried this with ground beef (family preferences) and it tasted great, if a little dry.
Could i add a small of shredded beef suet to the mix to try and moisten the kebob?
Could I use this spice mix for a marinade? I have lots of diced lamb and would like to cook on skewers.
Hi Jackie – try this marinade, it’s AMAZING! https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooked-lamb-shawarma/ N x
Why do my kebabs break on the bbq?
Yes, I have the same problem. My kebabs don’t stay on the skewer while BBQ. They don’t hold their shape and some have even fallen off the skewers and onto the charcoal. What can I do to fix this?
Hi Muni, do you mean the mince is breaking apart? N x
Really tasty and easy to make, thanks!
I made these for a bbq and had rave reviews. Love this one. Love forward to making again.
That’s great to hear Cindy!! N x
Kofta is a Greek word so this is not Turkish
Kofte is Turkish word, accept the letter “o” has two dots on it..written correctly with Turkish alphabet it would be “köfte”. This is common everyday Turkish food, Greeks and other Balkan countries also adapted to their kitchens many Turkish food such köfte or imam bayıldı , or döner kebap or sish kebap , Turkish yoğurt, many Turkish desserts and köfte kebap / sish köfte as in the above recipe. All the countries once under the rule of Ottoman Turkish Empire is now sharing Turkish cuisine in their kitchens from Caucasus to eastern Europe, without changing the original Turkish names of these old recipes , naturally this Turkish word could still be used in Greece as they have many Turkish words still remaining in their language. Also in line with the recipe here, the word köfte is used in all the present day Turkic Republics other then Turkey and in their restaurant’s menus located outside of their countries.. The recipe given here and it’s name “Turkish Lamb kofte kebabs” is correct.
Hi Nagi,
How long do you have to refrigerate the kebabs before frying them
Would you BBQ the skewers, or do you think the best is to put them in the oven, as you said?
Oh, shoot, sorry! I see that you already made comments on BBQing. You can delete this if you wish. I’ll make these tonight 🙂
Enjoy Joni!!
Fantastic! The flavors were amazing. Served with savory rice. Will use this again and again. Gracious thanks
Great, thanks for the feedback Mary!
Love the recipe – any way to make these in the oven (would love to make in bulk and also healthier)?
Another hit with the adult children. I did use the pistachios and think they were a great addition. Have used a lot of your recipes and never had a failure. Thanks for taking the boredom out of cooking. With two large dogs, I always check out Dozer.