Grilled Lamb Kofta Pita Wraps
Smoky grilled lamb mince seasoned with toasted cumin and coriander, tucked into warm pita with cool cucumber yogurt. A high-protein dinner cooked entirely on the barbecue.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 15
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Grilling · Toasting spices
- Savory
- Barbecue
Instructions
-
Grate the onion on the box grater and crush the garlic cloves. Put the grated onion in a clean kitchen towel or your hands and squeeze out the excess liquid so the kofta hold together.
~8 min
Squeezing out onion water prevents the kofta from steaming and crumbling on the grill.
Squeezing the liquid from the grated onion is what keeps the kofta from falling apart on the grates; the onion water would otherwise steam and loosen the mix.
-
Put a small heatproof pan or a folded foil tray on a medium-hot barbecue. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, then the cumin and coriander. Toast for 45 to 60 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Do not let them burn.
~3 min
Toasting spices in oil blooms their fat-soluble aromatics, deepening flavour before they hit the meat.
Toast the cumin and coriander only until they smell nutty, about 45 seconds. Burnt spices turn the whole batch bitter and there is no way to rescue it.
Toasting spices Toast ground spices in oil for 45 to 60 seconds until fragrant and slightly darkened; pull them off the moment they smell nutty, as they burn fast.
-
In a large bowl combine the lamb mince, grated onion, crushed garlic, the toasted cumin and coriander, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Mix with your hands just until evenly combined, then shape into 12 oval kofta about 8 cm long.
~7 min
Mixing just until combined keeps the mince proteins from over-developing, so kofta stay tender.
-
While step 3 waits
While the kofta rest, dice the cucumber into 5 mm pieces. Stir it into the yogurt with a pinch of salt. Keep cold until serving.
~4 min
-
Brush the barbecue grates with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Grill the kofta over direct medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until browned on all sides and the lamb reaches 71°C/160°F in the centre.
~15 min
Turning every 3 minutes browns all sides evenly without drying out the lean lamb.
Grilling Grill over direct medium-high heat and turn only every 3 minutes; moving food too often prevents browning and dries the kofta.
-
Lay the pita on the barbecue for 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until pliable and lightly marked. Slide 3 kofta into each pita, spoon over the cucumber yogurt, and fold to eat.
~2 min
Brief grilling warms pita without drying it, keeping it pliable enough to fold.
Grilling Grill over direct medium-high heat and turn only every 3 minutes; moving food too often prevents browning and dries the kofta.