Culinary Journeys · Middle Eastern
Street-food flavors at home
Fragrant with warm spices, charred at the edges, and served with a silky tahini sauce. This is the kind of food that makes you eat standing at the counter.
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Intermediate
Kofta
Tahini sauce
To serve
Combine the lamb with the grated onion, garlic, spices, parsley, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well with your hands. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Shape each into a long oval around a skewer or freehand into a sausage shape.
Whisk tahini with lemon juice and grated garlic. Add cold water a spoonful at a time until silky and pourable. Season with salt.
Grill on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply charred. Rest for 2 minutes.
Lay the kofta over warm flatbreads, drizzle with tahini sauce, and top with cucumber, tomato, herbs, and lemon.
Origin story
Kofta appears across a vast arc of the world, from the Balkans through the Middle East to South Asia. The word comes from the Persian word for "pounded." This version draws from Levantine tradition, where lamb kofta on skewers over charcoal is a street-food staple.