Grilled lamb koftas with lemon and herbs

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 small red onion, very finely chopped or grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Small handful mint, finely chopped
• Small handful coriander, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

To serve, optional
• Flatbreads
• Greek yoghurt
• Lemon wedges
• A simple tomato, cucumber and herb salad

Method

1. Make the kofta mixture

Put the lamb mince into a large bowl with the red onion, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, most of the parsley, mint and coriander, the olive oil, a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix everything together well with your hands or a spoon until evenly combined. You want it properly mixed so it holds together, but not worked to the point of becoming dense and joyless.

2. Shape the koftas

Divide the mixture into 8 even portions. Shape each one into a sausage around a skewer if using, or simply form them into slightly flattened oblong koftas with your hands. Press them together firmly enough that they hold their shape. A little confidence here saves them trying to fall apart later.

3. Let them firm up

If you have time, chill the koftas for 20 minutes. It is not essential, but it does help them stay a bit neater on the grill or in the pan, which is never a bad thing.

4. Cook the koftas

Heat a griddle pan, barbecue or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the koftas for 8–10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until browned on the outside and cooked through. You want a bit of colour and a few charred edges, because that is where a good deal of the flavour lives.

5. Finish properly

Once cooked, transfer the koftas to a plate and leave them to rest for 2–3 minutes. Scatter over the remaining herbs and a little extra squeeze of lemon juice if you like. That final sharpness does a lot of useful work.

6. Serve

Serve hot with flatbreads, yoghurt, lemon wedges and a crisp salad on the side if you fancy. They are equally happy as part of a bigger spread or just piled onto plates and got stuck into.

A couple of helpful notes

- If the mixture feels a little soft, chilling it before cooking helps enormously.
- Metal skewers are easiest, but soaked wooden skewers work perfectly well if that is what you have.
- A pinch of chilli flakes in the mixture would not hurt at all if you want a little more warmth.