← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb mince (or half lamb, half beef)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 15 g Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Pul biber (Aleppo-style pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 30 g Pistachios, finely ground (optional)
• 200 g thick plain yogurt
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp Sumac
• 4 flatbreads
• 2 Tomato, sliced

Method

1. Squeeze the grated onion firmly in your hand to get rid of its juice. Put it in a bowl with the lamb, garlic, parsley, spices, salt and pistachios.
2. Knead with your hands for 2–3 min until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together; this stops the köfte falling off the skewers. Chill for 30 min.
3. With wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 long sausages around flat metal skewers (or soaked wooden ones), pressing so they cling.
4. Make the sides: toss the sliced red onion with the sumac, a pinch of salt and a little parsley. Stir a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt into the yogurt.
5. Cook on a very hot barbecue or griddle for 8–10 min, turning every couple of minutes, until browned all over and cooked through. Minced lamb should reach 71°C (160°F) in the centre.
6. Serve in warm flatbreads with the yogurt, sumac onions, tomatoes and lemon wedges.

Tips

• Pul biber (Aleppo-style pepper flakes) is fruity and mild; use half the amount of regular chilli flakes instead.
• The pistachios are optional, so leave them out for anyone with a nut allergy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Eats Ozlem's Turkish Table