Cooking food on skewers is a brilliant way to make smaller ‘bits and pieces’ feel like something more substantial. Lamb is the traditional meat used for kofta but beef or chicken will be just as delicious.
Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves picked, optional
Instructions
- Heat an overhead grill (broiler) on a very high heat. Combine meat and cumin. Season. From the mixture into 4 ‘sausages’ with your hands. Thread onto 4 skewers.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, until browned. Turn then cook for another 3-5 minutes or until just cooked.
- Serve skewers on a bed of hummus with leaves on the side.
Variations for Serving Sizes
Easy to increase as needed.
Variations
minced (ground) meat alternatives – use cubes of tender cuts of meat like pork fillet, lamb fillet, pork neck, beef fillet, steak, chicken breasts or thighs. Fish fillets can also be used. Tofu. Seitan. Chorizo, squid, prawns (shrimp).
vegetarian – replace meat with cubes of veg. We’re looking for veg which will cook in a relatively short amount of time AND hold its shape on the skewer. Zucchini, red capsicum
(bell peppers), mushrooms. Or pre-cooked veg such as sweet potato, pumpkin, potatoes, parsnips, celeriac, fennel. You could also replace the meat with lentils or chickpeas (don’t worry about skewers here).
hummus alternatives – pesto, herb & nut sauce, hoisin sauce or sriracha (chilili sauce). Even ketchup or BBQ sauce.
salad – pretty much any washed salad leaves including baby spinach, rocket (arugula), radicchio or mixed leaves. Also try leafy herbs like parsley, mint, coriander (cilantro) and basil.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – use broccoli hummus.
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with pita bread or tortillas.
more substantial (low carb) – extra veg. Roast macadamias.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
minced (ground) meat – freeze.
cumin – pantry.
hummus – should keep in the fridge for weeks. Can be frozen.
parsley – use for another meal. Or make parsley pesto (just replace the basil with parsley) or freeze (will wilt though).
Problem Solving Guide
protein dry – it’s important not to overcook the protein as it easily dries out. Best to err on the side of slightly undercooked.
bland – be generous with the seasoning. Next time try a different sauce.
short on time? – skip the threading onto the skewers and just stir fry the cubes of meat until just cooked and serve drizzled with the sauce.
skewers burning – bamboo skewers will burn unless soaked in water first. I tend not to worry about it. You could remove the skewers before serving or invest in a set of metal skewers.
Leftover Potential
OK. Most kebabs work best when fresh but can be served cold wrapped in fresh flat bread with the sauce. Will keep in the fridge for a week or so.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the skewers and sauce with the salad on the side. For a more substantial meal, serve with fresh pita bread.
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Hmmm. Just wondering if the zucchini tortillas would work here instead of flat bread…. May have to try that at the weekend, with garlic mayonnaise maybe instead of hummus. Cant do baba as I have no gas hob and no outdoor space for bbq.
Absolutely to zucchini tortillas and garlic mayo Sue!
You can make baba by charring the eggplant under an overhead grill – or just use roast eggplant in the oven and add a teaspoon smoked paprika to give you the smokiness 🙂
Jules, do you have a baba ganoush recipe you like, maybe as an alternative to hummus? Just looking for a more substantial option without the legumes. Or maybe your broccoli tabouleh would be good with it? Or both!? 😉
Hey Jenna!
Both is always my Irishman’s favourite option Jenna!
Lots of Low Carb hummus options
– Babaganoush (aka ‘baba’)
– broccoli hummus
– roast cauliflower hummus (more work but super delicious!)
Jx
Thank you! ❤️
You’re welcome Jenna!
Used ground beef, and cilantro instead of parsley (I still can’t believe the store was out of parsley!) Really good, even my husband adored it. And you’re right, the stick does add something 🙂 As a note, you might want to add random items like “skewers” to the shopping list.
Great idea to add skewers to the shopping list Kelly! Thank you 🙂
Great thank you! Will try salt and coriander next time!
I used Lamb for this and would have preferred more flavor. Would rosemary or thyme been a good addition to the cumin? Maybe I was expecting the flavor beef? Don’t eat lamb that often?
Great question Ginger!
I grew up on a sheep farm so eat a lot of lamb… I find it tends to need much more salt than beef to bring out the flavour so that would be my first starting point. I’d also think about adding some ground coriander because I like it’s lemoniness with lamb.
Rosemary or thyme would also be good