Lamb kofta in tahini sauce
Flavourful and tender minced lamb kofta in tahini sauce.
Lamb. You either like it or you do not. In our house, we both like lamb, especially minced lamb. It is very flavourful and goes very well with bold spices. I was planning our weekly menu and thought that it has been a while since I made this dish. To be honest, I am not sure why and it is very easy to cook and tastes beautiful. I hope you will enjoy the below recipe as much as we do.
How to make lamb kofta in tahini sauce
First I would make tahini and garlic sauce. If you have not tried tahini before, you should. You may ask, what is a tahini? Basically it is nothing else than a an oily condiment made of toasted ground hulled sesame seeds. You can but it in pretty much in every supermarket or you can make your own. I will be sharing my recipe for a homemade tahini soon on my blog.
So, back to making tahini sauce - you basically need to mix all the ingredients together very well, this is it. Please do not worry if your sauce will split as it will come together in an oven.
Making lamb koftas takes only few minutes as you need to mix meat with the rest of the ingredients mixed below, shape it and cook in your oven. Then after 20 minutes you add sauce and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Healthy and beautiful dinner is ready.
What does lamb kofta in tahini sauce taste like?
These lamb koftas are perfectly seasoned with sumac, onion, garlic and cumin that compliment lamb meat wonderfully. Sumas adds a nice hint of acidity to the meat. These koftas are very tender, I would even say that they melt in your mouth. Tahini and garlic sauce adds creaminess and a unique nutty flavour to the whole dish and brings all flavours together.
I love serving this dish with with a pita bread and a yoghurt dip and fresh vegetables, like cucumbers or tomatoes. It is a very simple yet very delicious meal that will satisfy everybody who likes lamb and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. Oh, this dish is also low-carb so it is a great option for people on a low-carb diet.
If you are looking for more minced lamb recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Click this link to see all recipes with meat
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Enjoy!
Recipe source – Recipe for tahini sauce is adapted from book "Zahav" by Michael Solomonov.
Recipe for lamb koftas is my own.
Flavourful and tender minced lamb kofta in creamy tahini sauce.
- 500 g lamb (minced)
- 1 egg (large)
- 4 garlic (cloves)
- 1 onion (medium, peeled and grinded or finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 tsp salt (table)
- 1 tsp black pepper (ground)
- 1 tsp cumin (ground)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (powder)
- 120 ml tahini (paste)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60 ml lemon (juice (I used 1 and a half lemon))
- 1/2 tsp salt (table)
- 120 ml water (or more if needed)
- parsley (fresh, chopped, for garnish)
Prepare an oven-proof baking dish around, 30cm x25 cm, brush it with olive oil and put aside.
Preheat an oven to 180C fan.
Add onion and garlic in a food processor and grind it until smooth. If you do not have food processor just chop onion and garlic finely.
Add meat, an egg, spices and onion and garlic paste into a medium bowl.
Using your hand, work out the meat properly making sure that all the ingredients are mixed well.
Using a kitchen scale divide meat into 50g portions. Shape each meat portion into a log shape. Place each kofta into a prepared baking dish.
Place koftas in the preheated oven for about 20 min.
Mix minced garlic with lemon juice and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add tahini and salt into a small jug and stir. Then add lemon and garlic mixture. Whisk vigorously.
- Add water to tahini mixture and stir well until the sauce is smooth and runny.
Take the dish out from your oven and pour over tahini sauce.
- Put back koftas in an oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
Remove dish from your oven and garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve hot with a pita bread and fresh vegetables.
Tips:
- Using you hand to mix meat will help the flavours to blend well.
- Yes, I used a lot of garlic, as we like it a lot, feel free to add less garlic if you are not a big garlic fan.
- After baking koftas for the first 20 minutes you will notice some fat inside the dish, just pour it away if you do not like it.