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…
Why do my kebabs break on the bbq?
Hi Muni, do you mean the mince is breaking apart? N x
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?
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.
Made this receipe today, came out very well and super delicious thanx
Glad you enjoyed it Shobana!! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂 N x
This is incredible!!!! How I wish there was a video for this! Ah, we’ve been way too spoiled by you 😉
Just popped it on my video list! 🙂 I’ve been slowly working backwards and adding videos to all my old posts N x
Omg you’re awesome! Thank you so much! Can’t wait
Mr. Fussy approves, Nagi! Lots of flavor for so few ingredients. (Next time we’ll skip the skewers, as the kebabs didn’t stay on very well.) I added chopped fresh mint nd a bit of cumin t the yogurt sauce. Yum! Saving this to my Favorites–Main Dishes Pinterest board.
WHOOT! Glad he enjoyed this Marlene!! N xx
I got all excited when I spotted the words Doner Kebab thinking finally I’ve found a recipe to make my own. But it wasn’t to be. Here in the UK the late night after pub grub Doner kebab meat is lamb and using chicken is chicken kebab meat.
I’m sure your chicken kebab tastes great as do all your recipes I’ve tried and I do like chicken a lot and I will try it but when it comes to a take away Doner kebab it’s got to be the lamb version.
Do you have a recipe somewhere amongst your recipe stash for a lamb Doner kebab?
Here’s hoping.
Hugs for Dozer xx
This was amazing. I grew up eating Kebab in the Middle East, so I know what I am talking about lol and this was legit!! Thank you for the great and easy recipe. I’ve tried other recipes on your website, and they’re always easy and super tasty!
BEST COMPLIMENT EVER!!!! 😂
I’ve been looking for my recipe for lamb kebabs and came across yours. The only difference is the chili powder and red pepper flakes. When these are grilling, the aroma is like that of a street carnival with many food vendors cooking up their specialties. So good. i make tzaziki sauce to go with it. Deelish, and I’ve got 4 lbs. of ground lamb in the freezer. Time to cook them up!
WHOOT! So pleased you enjoyed these Vicky, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Where can I buy red pepper flakes in Australia . Can only find red chilli flakes. Is this what you mean?
Yes! That’s it 🙂 They are sold with different names 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi
what kind of pistachio nuts do you use. i can get a choice of raw kernels or the roasted salted ones in the shells ?
Thanks again for your wonderfull website.
S
Hi Stephen! Either is fine but I usually use roasted ones 🙂
Hi Nagi,
I was looking for a kofta Kebab and went straight to you,I was not disappointed, Again!
These were out the park the only difference i done was some mixed salad leaves,crème fresh and a splash of sriracha…Wow these should be illegal.. Truly addictive lol absolutely delicious!
Again Nagi… Thank you!
Phil from Scotland.
That’s so fantastic to hear Phil! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! – N xx
I have just discovered your blog and oh my I am addicted to it. Your recipes are so flavoursome. I would like to try these Koftas but I am not sure about the red pepper flakes, (are these hot). What is the difference between chilli flakes and red pepper flakes. I for one don’t like too much hot spice. I have used chilli flakes in the past and only use 1/4 of what is in recipes. So I am not sure with this recipe. I like the taste of chilli but not too hot. 😉
Hi Wendy! They are the same thing 🙂 If you are concerned about spiciness then feel free to cut it back! 1 tsp would be safe 🙂 N x
I’ve been making these for years, and they’re deelish. I use chili powder instead of chili flakes. The whole family loves these. I must admit I’m fearful of mounding onto skewers, so I form into patties. Besides, there’s 14 of us, and I find that to be a little nerve wracking. I might form into sausages next time without the skewers.
Patties is a great idea Vicky!! Easier than threading too 🙂 N x
Never tried making these before, looks like a delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Ooh, hope you try them Simon! These really are DELISH!
Hi Nagi,
I made this tonight and it was a hit with everyone. This one is definitely a keeper. I have to say your blog had been a godsend. I had gotten pretty burnt out on cooking after 20+ years of marriage and really picky kids (seriously, one time I spent a lot of time cooking something (not from your blog) and when my younger son came to the table he looked at his plate, looked at me, and asked “is this poison?” He wasn’t joking.). So far everything I have cooked from you blog has not only gotten a big thumbs up from my husband, but my kids also like them, too. So really a great big THANK YOU for your blog – for allowing me to enjoy cooking again, and also being able to make something people want to eat.
BA HA HA! I’m sorry I’m sorry, I should laugh, but…”is this poison?” is just TOO FUNNY!!!! Gosh, I am so glad your kids like the things you made from my blog and they don’t think you’re trying to poison them!!! 🙂
When some of my grandchildren have that look on their face or that sound in their voice when asking what it is, I always ask them if I’ve ever poisoned them. LOL.