These juicy and incredibly flavourful pan fried beef koftas are super easy to prepare and make an awesome dinner! Essential to Middle Eastern cuisine, kofta is a type of meatball made from ground lamb or beef, warm spices, fresh herbs and aromatics. Although lamb koftas are considered more traditional, the type of meat to use is ultimately down to your own preferences. My personal favourite is beef as I find the taste of ground lamb loin to be a little overpowering. The ingredients are however largely the same – so if you are more of a lamb guy or gal, worry not! In this post I’ve included suggestions on how to tweak the recipe.
Overview of ingredients:
Ground meat: lean (less than 11% fat) fresh beef or lamb is best for this recipe.
Fresh herbs: a combination of mint and parsley adds fresh, peppery notes.
Bread crumbs: make the meat mixture more tender while creating a crispy outer layer when frying.
Red onions: contributes with sweetness and a little pungency.
Garlic: adds a nice punchy kick.
Strained tomatoes*: bring in a little tartness that enhances the flavour of beef.
Ground spice*: a mixture of warm (cinnamon, cloves), fresh (black pepper, coriander) and earthy (cumin) creates a vibrant taste with a distinctive Middle Eastern character.
*If using lamb, substitute strained tomatoes with two table spoons of lemon juice. Add 1/2 tea spoons each of ground nutmeg and allspice, or alternatively you can use 1.5 table spoons of baharat seasoning.
Preparation tips for Pan Fried Beef Koftas:
- Mix the ingredients together and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. The breadcrumbs will soften, making the beef mixture more tender.
- Although koftas benefit from being cooked on a smoky grill, they are equally delicious pan fried. If you own a griddle pan, even better: grill marks do create a more authentic feel. You can also fix your koftas onto skewers even if you pan fry them – just because it’s fun!
- Warm your pan to medium-high, add some olive oil and seal the sides of your koftas by turning them around often. Lower the heat for the last couple of minutes of cooking to avoid burning. Koftas only need about 7 minutes to reach a juicy perfection.
Serving suggestions:
Seeing how koftas are a type of meatball, pretty much any side dish would do just fine with them – fried potatoes or mash, grilled vegetables, salads, cooked greens… you name it. However, in order to get a more authentic experience and to make the fresh nature of koftas stand out, try serving them alongside a bowl of yoghurt mixed with a sprinkle of lemon juice and fresh herbs. Complement with a bright, bold and vibrant salad with sweet, zesty and pungent notes and finish off with warm pita bread.
Pan Fried Beef Koftas
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer
- 1 Frying or Grill Pan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Yields 10 Koftas
- 500 g Ground Beef
- 2 tbsp Bread Crumbs
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup Fresh Mint and Parsley Leaves (½ cup of each)
- 1 Red Onion
- 5-6 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Strained Tomatoes
Ground Spice
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- 1 tsp Coriander
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Cumin
Instructions
- Start by blitzing together 1 Red Onion, 5-6 cloves Garlic, ½ cup Fresh Mint and Parsley Leaves, 1 tsp Salt and 2 tbsp Strained Tomatoes until you get a smooth paste.
- Transfer to the bowl with 500 g Ground Beef and add spices and 2 tbsp Bread Crumbs. Mix thoroughly (I use a hand mixer) until everything’s incorporated. Leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Form koftas of about 10cm long and 3cm in diameter. If you are cooking them on a grill, fix koftas onto skewers.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil to medium and fry koftas for 6-8 minutes, turning constantly so that they brown nicely from all sides.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with your choice of side. See my serving suggestions in Notes!
Notes
- Serving suggestions:
• Fresh yoghurt + lemon juice + chopped parsley/mint
• Fresh tomatoes + red onions + pomegranate jewels + fresh herbs in red vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic and rock salt dressing
• Fresh pita breads - If using lamb instead of beef, substitute strained tomatoes with 2 tbsp of lemon juice and add 1/2 each ground nutmeg and ground allspice.
54 Responses
Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.” by Sir Arthur Eddington.
Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
Simply wanna input that you have a very decent web site, I love the design and style it actually stands out.
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and come with almost all important infos. I’d like to peer more posts like this .
obviously like your website but you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to tell the reality then again I will certainly come back again.
Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude. Thank you However I’m experiencing challenge with ur rss . Don?t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting identical rss drawback? Anyone who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
Would you be all in favour of exchanging links?
I’m impressed, I must say. Actually rarely do I encounter a weblog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you may have hit the nail on the head. Your thought is excellent; the issue is something that not sufficient individuals are talking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my seek for something referring to this.
I believe you have remarked some very interesting points, thanks for the post.
Thank you for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your website is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What a great website.
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any helpful hints for rookie blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.
Magnificent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely wonderful. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it sensible. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is actually a tremendous web site.
excellent post, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this sector don’t realize this. You must continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a huge readers’ base already!
I think the admin of this web site is genuinely working hard for his site, since here every stuff is quality based information.
This is a great tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any methods to protect against hackers?
This paragraph is truly a pleasant one it assists new internet viewers, who are wishing for blogging.
Good site! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I could be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Opera. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Thanks
Terrific paintings! That is the kind of info that are meant to be shared around the web. Shame on Google for not positioning this put up higher! Come on over and discuss with my site . Thanks =)
I really appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your web site?
I always spent my half an hour to read this weblog’s articles daily along with a cup of coffee.
Hi to every one, the contents present at this web site are truly remarkable for people knowledge, well, keep up the good work fellows.
of course like your web-site however you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to inform the truth on the other hand I will certainly come back again.
I intended to put you that tiny observation to finally say thanks the moment again on the gorgeous information you’ve discussed on this site. It has been so particularly generous with you to give freely just what a number of us could have distributed as an ebook to end up making some cash on their own, even more so since you could possibly have done it if you desired. Those concepts in addition worked to be a fantastic way to understand that other people have the same dream much like my personal own to see lots more related to this problem. I think there are a lot more pleasurable periods ahead for people who scan through your site.
I all the time emailed this website post page to all my friends, because if like to read it next my links will too.
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Many thanks!
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Superb work!
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100 sure. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
I like this site very much, Its a very nice situation to read and incur information.
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)
Heya just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
It is truly a nice and helpful piece of info. I am happy that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and exposure! Keep up the good works guys I’ve added you guys to my own blogroll.
I’ll immediately grab your rss feed as I can not find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me know in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100 positive. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
It’s going to be end of mine day, however before finish I am reading this wonderful piece of writing to increase my knowledge.
First off I would like to say awesome blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thanks!
Hi there! I know this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask. Does operating a well-established website such as yours require a lot of work? I’m brand new to operating a blog but I do write in my journal every day. I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any ideas or tips for new aspiring blog owners. Thankyou!
Hi, I read your blog like every week. Your humoristic style is witty, keep it up!
I genuinely enjoy reading through on this website , it holds good blog posts.
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thanks a lot!
hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
There is certainly a great deal to know about this topic. I love all of the points you made.
Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually realize what you are speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also visit my web site =). We will have a hyperlink exchange agreement among us!
Link exchange is nothing else however it is simply placing the other person’s webpage link on your page at appropriate place and other person will also do similar for you.
Somebody essentially help to make seriously posts I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I amazed with the research you made to make this particular publish incredible. Fantastic job!
If you wish for to get a great deal from this paragraph then you have to apply these techniques to your won weblog.
Outstanding post, I conceive blog owners should acquire a lot from this weblog its very user pleasant.
Hi! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to check it out. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and wonderful design and style.