Yorgurtlu Kofte Kebabi
For those of you who love Middle Eastern food then this is the dish for you. It’s complete with everything in one impeccable dish of toasted pita bread, fresh yogurt, golden pine nuts, soft and tender kofta with bright sumac over the top. Make sure you layer this dish right before serving so the bread stays crisp.
Tomato sauce:
1 white onion, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 large pita breads
1-1/2 pounds ground lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sumac plus more for topping
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 scallion, chopped
1. In a sauté pan on medium heat add olive oil, onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Add red pepper flakes, tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar, mix well. Cook for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl add lamb, salt, pepper and cilantro, mix well. Make golf ball size shapes and form into small sausage shapes. Use a non-stick baking mat or foil on a baking sheet. Place kofta and broil under a high broiler in the oven for 8 minutes.
3. Toast the pita bread under the broiler for a few seconds until crisp and breakable. In a small saute pan on medium heat add butter, pine nuts and sumac, cook until golden.
4. In a serving platter crumble pita, pour tomato sauce on top, add yogurt, pine nut mixture, and sprinkle sumac then place kofta on top. Garnish with scallions.
Yields: 4 servings
Nice dish, I made Kofta curry today for the Suhur meal.
This looks sooo good, I’m going to have to make it soon, inshallah!
Thanks ladies
What a beautiful dish! Thinking about it, I don’t know that I have ever had sumac. Will definitely have to try this.
Thank you so much! Sumac was new to me as well up until a few years ago and I have since fell in love with it. Its a must with kabobs and salads.
Salaam, I love ur recipes and have been trying a few of them out this Ramadan. Just a little confused with this one as it lists sumac and butter but the recipe doesn’t state what to do with them. If you could let me know that would be wonderful, jazakallah khair!
This “Is” and entire meal just hand me a mint lemonade and I’m game!
The odd Muslimah I fixed it, sorry about that.
Zelia agree
Salam alaikum,
This looks really goood mashAllah I tried something similar yesterday without a tomato sauce it was ok but I’m sure following this recipe I will enjoy it a whole lot more inshAllah
Salam alaikum wa ramatulah wa barakatu sister,
Oh yum. I especially liked the kofte flavored with cilantro. I made this for futur. Instead of pita bread I served it over rice penne pasta cooked in chicken broth as we are gluten free which worked well. I used cooking onion, extra virgin olive oil, a little cayenne pepper powder as we don’t like too spicy and that is what I had on hand, a good canned tomato, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, organic cane sugar, regular ground beef as that is what I also had on hand, ground lamb is hard to find here, Balkan (thick) yogurt, sweet butter (unsalted), plus the rest of the ingredients. I may make this again.