Grilled Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Sauce
Spiced lamb koftas grilled until charred, tucked into warm pita with garlicky yogurt, pickled onion and heaps of herbs.
Kofta is the meal I make on Friday nights when I want something exciting but haven't planned. The spice mix does most of the work.
It's part of the same warm, savoury family as my sheet pan halloumi — big flavours, minimum fuss.
Ingredients
Kofta
- 500g ground lamb
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Big handful chopped parsley
Yogurt sauce
- 1 cup (240g) Greek yogurt
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt
To serve
- 4 warm pita or flatbreads
- Sliced red onion
- Sliced cucumber and tomato
- Fresh mint and parsley
Instructions
- Mix the kofta ingredients in a bowl. Shape into 12 sausage-shapes around skewers, or into oval patties.
- Whisk the yogurt sauce ingredients and chill.
- Grill or cook in a hot cast-iron pan with a drizzle of oil for 8–10 minutes total, turning, until charred outside and just cooked through.
- Rest the kofta 3 minutes.
- Stuff into pita with the salad, herbs and a big spoon of yogurt sauce.
Cooking tips
- Grating the onion (not chopping) keeps the mixture juicy.
- Let the mix sit in the fridge 20 minutes if you have time — the spices bloom.
- Freeze uncooked kofta in a single layer, then bag them up. Cook from frozen at a lower heat.
More like this
If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite main dishes recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.
You might also like
Sheet Pan Halloumi with Roasted Vegetables
One tray, twenty-five minutes, golden halloumi and sweet blistered vegetables. The vegetarian dinner I make when I want zero washing up.
Herb-Roasted Chicken Thighs
Bone-in chicken thighs roasted until the skin shatters and the meat stays juicy. The dinner I cook when I want something that feels like a real occasion.
Twenty-Minute Chicken Tacos
Spiced chicken thighs, crunchy slaw, lime crema, warm tortillas. Taco night, sorted in twenty minutes.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Crunchy cucumber, sweet tomatoes, briny olives, creamy feta — a chickpea salad that actually holds its own as dinner.