When I was on holiday in Turkey last year, my evening meal each night alternated between fresh calamari and these kofte (proof of how delicious they are!). The meat mixture can be spiced and flavoured with whatever tickles your fancy, the lamb can be easily substituted with beef mince and STILL, these will taste incredible!

SERVES 4 (8 SKEWERS)- COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g lamb mice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onion, blended into a paste or really finely chopped
• 1tsp dried parsley or a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1tbsp ground cumin
• 1tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 2 fresh red or green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Begin by soaking bamboo skewers in a bowl of cold water. Chuck in about 10, and place to once side.
2. In a large bowl, place the lamb mince and all the spices/herbs and onion and garlic and mix thoroughly with your hands. I really, really recommend using plastic gloves for this part so that you can squeeze the meat as you combine it all. This will not only help tenderise it but also will break up the mince structure so that the mixture becomes a big mush (sounds gross but this is exactly how you want it).
3. Remove the skewers from the water and drain. Then take a handful of the lamb mix and begin to form it around the skewer (it helps to lightly squeeze around and down the skewer to give it shape). Don’t worry if they aren’t neat-looking, as long as each skewer has roughly the same amount of meat on it, you’ll be fine! Too much on one means the density of it will require a longer cooking time.
4. Once all the kofte are formed, place on a chopping board/plate and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better though!).
5. When you’re ready to cook, heat a tablespoon of oil in a griddle pan. When hot, carefully fry the kofte for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until brown and the meat is cooked through. Don’t worry if these stick a little, just keep turning them.
6. And voila! I served this with homemade chips, salad and a few homemade mezze dishes on the side, but these taste equally as wonderful in a bit of flatbread with some mint yogurt drizzled over the top. ENJOY!