Description
These juicy oven-baked kebabs are a flavorful and aromatic dish featuring spiced ground beef or lamb shaped into traditional kofta strips and baked until golden and crisp. Served with sumac pickled onions, garlic lemon yogurt sauce, fresh tomatoes, and warm flatbreads, this recipe offers an easy, crowd-pleasing meal with Middle Eastern flair perfect for family dinners or entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Kofta Kebabs
- 1 kg (2¼ lb) minced (ground) beef or lamb (15–20% fat)
- 1 small brown onion, grated
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
For the Sumac Onions
- 1 small red onion, very finely sliced
- 1½ tsp sumac
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt flakes
For the Yoghurt Garlic Sauce
- 1¼ cups (310 g) Greek yoghurt
- ½ tsp freshly minced garlic
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
To Serve
- 4–6 flatbreads or pita (omit for gluten-free)
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges or rounds
- ½ cup (15 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 240°C (475°F) or 220°C (425°F) fan-forced to prepare for baking the kebabs.
- Make the kofta mixture: In a large bowl, mix together the minced beef or lamb, grated brown onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili flakes if using, salt, black pepper, chopped parsley, and bicarbonate of soda. Knead firmly with your hands for about 2 minutes until the mixture is sticky and cohesive.
- Shape onto tray: Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Press the kofta mixture evenly into a large rectangle roughly 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 inches) and about 1 cm (½ inch) thick. Keep edges tidy but don’t worry about perfect shape.
- Score and notch: Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, cut the mixture vertically into long strips 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ inches) wide through to the paper. Then press shallow horizontal slits across each strip to create a traditional kebab look and promote even browning.
- Bake the kebabs: Brush the top of the kebabs with olive oil. Bake on the top oven rack for 15–18 minutes until golden brown, cooked through, and crisp at the edges. Watch closely from 15 minutes as cooking times may vary. For extra color, optionally grill (broil) for 1–2 minutes at the end.
- Make the sumac onions: While baking, toss the finely sliced red onion with sumac, lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt in a bowl. Set aside for 5–10 minutes to lightly pickle and enhance flavor or serve immediately if preferred.
- Prepare the yoghurt garlic sauce: In a separate bowl, combine Greek yoghurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt. Stir well and taste check seasoning to adjust as needed.
- Warm the flatbreads: Heat flatbreads in a dry frying pan or directly over a gas flame for 20–30 seconds per side until soft, warm, and pliable.
- Assemble and serve: Press warm flatbreads onto the cooked kofta in the tray to absorb juices, then separate kebab strips along scored lines. Serve kebabs inside or atop the flatbreads with spoonfuls of garlic yoghurt, a generous heap of sumac onions, fresh tomato slices, and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Using 15–20% fat lamb or beef ensures the kebabs stay juicy and flavorful; leaner meats like chicken tend to dry out.
- Brushing kebabs with olive oil before baking helps achieve a crisp, golden crust.
- Sumac adds a tangy citrus note to the pickled onions, enhancing the dish’s Middle Eastern character.
- These kebabs can also be cooked on a barbecue grill or air fryer for a smokier flavor, adjusting cooking times accordingly.
- Omit flatbreads to make the dish gluten-free, or serve with gluten-free flatbreads.
