| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 3 quarter-size slices ginger
- 2 large cloves garlic or 4 small
- 2 medium shallots
- Zest of 1 lemon, and separately, its juice
- 4 sprigs fresh mint
- Handful fresh cilantro
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, optional
- Lots of freshly ground pepper
- Oil, for drizzling
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 1 large English cucumber, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- For the lamb: Bring the lamb to room temperature. If you’re going to cook your kebabs on the grill, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don’t burn. Grab your food processor. You can chop all this by hand too; just make sure to chop it all up very finely. Throw the ginger, garlic, shallots, lemon zest, mint, cilantro and salt into the processor. Grind until very finely chopped. Throw the lamb into a big bowl. Add the shallot mixture, 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, baking soda, garam masala if using and pepper to the meat. Using your hands, knead 2 to 5 minutes until the meat lightens in color, taking on the appearance of knitted fabric. It will also be very sticky. Perfect! Divide the meat in half, then in half again and then half again, until you have 8 mounds. Have a platter ready for your completed kebabs. Drizzle a little oil on the platter so the kebabs don’t stick. Have your bamboo skewers standing by. Take one ball of meat and roll it into a short stump. Thread the skewer through it, and then begin shaping the kebab with quick strokes, pulling the meat down. It should be a little over 1/4-inch thick. Roll the kebab between your hands to seal the meat. Repeat. Preheat a griddle over medium heat, drizzling oil over it, so that when it starts to smoke, you’ll know it’s ready. Meanwhile, mix the juice of half the lemon with the remaining 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses in a small bowl. When it’s hot, place the skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn a quarter of the way. Brush with the lemon-molasses glaze and cook another 2 minutes. Continue in this way until you’ve cooked the meat 8 to 10 minutes.
- For the raita: Mix the yogurt, mint, cucumber and garlic together. Season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the kebabs.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 554 |
| Total Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 91 mg |
| Sodium | 899 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 554 |
| Total Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 91 mg |
| Sodium | 899 mg |
Reviews
Off the chart moist and flavorful. I made the Raita (used 4 small Persian cukes) and molasses the day before. I was amazed how moist it was. I had to oil my hands slightly to prevent sticking worked like a charm. I will never make lamb burgers again.
Ah yeah. This was absolutely delicious. I think, just as most recipes go, it would be easier with practice. Hubby loved it and the raita that went with it. Add some brown rice pilaf and you’re good to go!
I just made Aarti’s Ground Lamb Kofto Kebabs for the first time from another recipe on this site. It is apparently an earlier version of this recipe. This later recipe includes several tweaks I was planning to make to the older recipe including less baking soda, more flavorings & spices, a specific amount of salt, thicker glaze and the number of portions it makes. My only suggestion for this recipe be more specific about the quantities of mint and cilantro. A sprig and a handful are not very precise. The older recipe gave cups of leaves, presumably loosely packed. All my tasters at the potluck liked the older recipe, I’m sure they’ll love this perfected version.
Excellent! I followed the recipe and it was great. I didn’t have time to make the pomegranate molasses but Whole Foods carries it. I didn’t get an English cucumber but used a regular one but seeded it so it was not too watery. Thick Greek yogurt helped the texture as well. More middle eastern than Indian, warm pita would be nice.
This was AWESOME!!! Took a little time to put together but so worth it. I made my own pomegranate molasses (great by the way The raita was really good…I made some jasmine rice with mine….you have to have the molasses with it…it makes the dish…I sure will make this again!!
We really enjoyed this! My daughter HATES lamb. I have always wondered why people review a recipe when they didn’t follow it. Now I know. To cut down on the lamb flavor, I made a 50/50 mixture of lamb and veal. She loved it. The veal DID make it too spongy to stay on the skewers, so I baked it until it set, then moved it to the grill. Can’t wait to try it again without the veal, or with beef. Also, my son loved the rice and raita mixture… Mmmmm
Deeeee-licious!!! This recipe was bursting with flavors that I love. I am considering making another batch since I still have ginger and mint and extra yogurt sauce which might otherwise go unused. One tip is to grate the cucumber several hours ahead of time so that the excess moisture can drain.
Not sure if it was just me but this was not worth the time, effort nor money. The recipe seemed to hold much promise but was surprisingly tasteless. I love to cook and try new things but this one was just bland.
Very good and different. My wife made her own pomegranite mollases from scratch.
The flavors are truly amazing. I did have a bit of trouble with the kebabs sticking to the grill, but I had the butcher ground a sirloin roast, so it may just have been a bit too lean.