Name: Turkish Kofta Kebab Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 500g lamb mince; 500g beef mince; 1 large onion; 3 cloves garlic; 1 bunch of parsley (about 1 cup chopped); ½ bunch of fresh mint, leaves only (¼ cup); 1 and ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon cumin; 2 teaspoon paprika

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Authentic Turkish Kofta Kebab has everything to bring the Middle Eastern cuisine into your kitchen. Combine ground lamb and beef with amazing spices and shape kebabs on wooden skewers. Roast them either in the oven or on the grill and enjoy with various mezes.

kofta kebab served on lavash with sumac onions, tahini sauce and yogurt sauce on the side

Kofta kebab is quite a popular dish in the Middle East, primarily Turkey and can be found in many other countries, including Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia and more. Just like Classic Doner Kebab this delicious grilled kefta kebab or kefta kabob (as used interchangeably) is a street food staple. And you will often find plenty of roadside kefta kabob stalls selling them, mostly served with Turkish yogurt sauce cacik, tahini, sumac onion salad and piyaz salad.

Today, we will be sharing a kofta kebab recipe that has been in the family for years. We hope you enjoy it just as much as we do.

What Is Turkish Kofta Kebab?

If you are following this blog for a while, you already know how much we love homemade Turkish kofta. And you may be wondering what a kofta kebab is now. It is a grilled meat dish served on skewers. The skewers usually contain lamb and beef kofta that are balls of meat spiced with special seasonings that give it a distinct flavour. They are roasted on the grill and served as a sandwich in breads like Turkish flatbread bazlama, as a wrap in lavash bread or on a plate accompanied by rice pilaf with orzo. And it is almost a must to order a large cup of fresh yogurt drink to pair with your kefta kabob.

What Is Turkish Kofta Kebab Made Of?

Turkish kofta kebab contains ground lamb or beef mixed with spices and onions. You can also find chicken kefta, or mutton kofta kebab. But in Turkey the combination of beef and lamb is the most popular one.

What Is The Difference Between Kebab And Kofta?

Now that you know what kofta kebab is made of, let’s tell you the difference between kofta and kofta kebab.

Usually a kofta recipe will require the meatballs to be made into small balls by hand, whereas kefta kebabs are usually shaped larger and longer on skewers.

Also, you can use kofta in several other dishes like pasta, stews or even soups while kofta kebab is only served in the form of fast food.

Ingredients For Turkish Kofta Kebab

For kofta kebabs to turn out well, it is essential that you start out with quality ingredients. Go the extra mile, search for the right quality beef and lamb that will do the recipe justice.

You will need both ground lamb and ground beef for making this Turkish kofta kebab recipe. Additionally, you would need 1 large onion and 3 cloves garlic. The garlic should be finely grated. To achieve that Turkish Kofta Kebab flavour we all love and cherish so much, you would need several different kinds of spices and fresh herbs including parsley, fresh mint leaves, salt, ground black pepper, cumin and paprika.

hands shaping kefta kabob on wooden skewers

moulding kofta kebab mixture on wooden skewers

How To Make Kofta Kebab Recipe

Start off my soaking your wooden skewers in the water for at least 30 minutes. If you don’t have wooden skewers, don’t worry. You can use stainless steel ones too. For those of you who don’t have either, use your hands and go for a more burger or meatball shape for the kofte instead. On a side note, if you are unsure how to use wooden skewer inside an oven safely, be sure to read up on how properly soaking your skewers can make the whole process super safe and easy.
Mix all the ingredients together using a food-processor. Make sure you properly mix everything so that the flavour of the spices is evenly spread out throughout the mixture. Take a large bowl and transfer your mixture into this bowl before moulding it on to your skewer.
Shape the kefta kabob. Be sure to take a handful of the portion of mixture when moulding it into kebab. To prevent the meat from sticking to your hands is to wet the palms of your hands lightly. This way the meat won’t keep sticking to your palms.
Once you have all your skewers ready, roast them on your oven grill. Alternatively, you can line a baking sheet with foil, place an oven wire rack on it and put the kebabs on it. 20 minutes in the oven is fine. Once done, take the skewers out of the oven and serve the juicy kebabs alongside yogurt mint sauce or tahini sauce and onion salad or bean salad on the side.

Beef and lamb koftas on skewers served on lavash with onions and herbs

How Do You Make Kofta Kebab Stick On The Skewers?

Here are some tips you should follow when making the kofta skewers recipe to make sure the kofta kebab stick:

Make sure the meat mixture is cold, as this way it won’t be slippery while you skewer them.
Similarly, keep a bowl of cold water near you, and occasionally dip your hands in the cold water if your palms get sweaty or hot.
Before you start skewering the kefta kebab, make sure the mixture doesn’t contain any air bubbles, by smashing the mixture with your hands to make sure.
Adding salt before you knead or mix the meat will make sure that your skewers will remain intact.
And lastly, make sure that you are sealing the opening and closing of the kofta kebabs properly so they don’t slip.

lamb and beef kofta skewers in a wrap with yogurt sauce

What To Eat With Kofte Kebabs?

They literally go with anything. You can serve them with grilled vegetables of your choice, or a fresh garden salad. Similarly, you can add in a yogurt mint sauce or tahini, and serve pita bread or rice as a side dish.

It can become the perfect meal with any side dish you want, including fries, tomatoes or more.

How Many Calories Are There In A Turkish Kofta Kebab?

Although the calories may vary from the amount of meat you use, kofta kebab is a low-calorie dish as it is usually grilled and requires very little oil. You can expect anywhere between 180-300 calories per serving.

As always: If you make this recipe–or any recipes on Give Recipe–let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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