John Torode's kofta kebabs

Thursday 20 June at 4:33pm

We’ve had a bit of an unpredictable summer so far where the weather’s concerned, but that doesn’t have to stand in the way of your barbecue plans.

John Torode’s proving you can cook delicious barbecue food both inside and out, as he makes his kofta kebabs.

Kofta kebabs

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the kofta

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp chilli powder, optional

1 tsp sumac

Small handful of fresh oregano or marjoram

500g lamb mince

Juice of 1 lemon

5 tsp chopped fresh mint

Salt and pepper

1 egg yolk, broken

For the flat breads

500g plain flour

1 tsp salt

500g natural yoghurt

Small bunch of coriander chopped

For the pickled red onion

2 large red onion, thinly sliced in rings

1 tbsp castor sugar

1 tsp salt

100ml apple vinegar

50ml water

For the tahini sauce

100g tahini

200ml water

juice of 1- 2 lemons

To serve

Pickled green chillies

Shredded red and green cabbage

Herb salad, made up of parsley, chives, dill, mint leaves

Chopped tomatoes

Method

To make the kebabs, place the cumin and the coriander seeds in a hot, dry frying pan and roast for 2-3 minutes until the seeds change colour and release their oils. Crush in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Put the lamb into a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, mint, oregano and the all the spices. Season well. Bind with the egg and shape into 8 patties, flatten and place on metal skewers. Chill in the fridge - these must be cold to be cooked or they will fall apart
Grill on a well-oiled grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through
To make the flat breads, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to a dough. Knead well and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Divide into four pieces and roll out till thinly. Lightly oil a large frying pan and heat. Pan fry the breads for about for 2 minutes on each side.
To make the pickled red onion, place the onion in a bowl and add the sugar and salt and stir, leave for 20 minutes
Warm the vinegar and the water, pour over the onion and give a good stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Leave to sit, or it can be eaten immediately.
To make the tahini sauce, mix the water into the tahini paste to thin it down slightly. Add lemon juice to taste.