I have been making variations of these for many years. They are a quick and tasty way of using minced beef. To be honest, I have found the cheaper the mince (i.e. more fatty and squishy) the better the kebabs! You can choose your own combination and strength of spices so the recipe below is just a suggestion. You can also make them with minced lamb if you prefer.
I am not really sure what to call these kebabs. Some recipe books would call them kofte kebabs. Here in Turkey, köfte is a type of meat ball, usually with bread crumbs added, so it doesn't feel quite right to me anymore to call them köfte. In Turkey, there are other minced meat kebabs, named after their cities of origin, such as Adnana kebabs or Urfa kebabs which are usually spiced in a certain way. They are long kebabs formed around metal skewers.
Once a Palestinian student of mine saw me making these and he, non-cook though he was, pushed me aside and rolled them adroitly with one hand to form much nicer more regular shapes than I had.
I usually cook them on the kitchen grill. I advise not placing them too near to the source of heat, and put them on open bars with a foil covered tray below, to allow the fat to drip through. Watch carefully, I caught mine on fire a couple of weeks ago! They are also great for barbecues.
Serve with plain rice and a mixed salad.
Ingredients for Spicy Skewered Kebabs (makes about 8 kebabs)
half a kilo of minced beef or lamb
1 teaspoon salt
a large pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves if making lamb kebabs
1 large clove garlic
1 small onion
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder or a quarter teaspoon hot chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon allspice (if you are in Turkey you can use kofte spice)
You can either combine the ingredients by hand or use a food processor.
By hand:
Grate the onion and mince or finely chop the garlic.
Place in bowl with seasonings, herbs and meat. Knead together until minced meat is soft and all ingredients well incorporated.
Food processor:
Place roughly chopped onion and garlic clove in processor, with meat and seasonings. Process until all incorporated.
Roll mixture into roughly shaped sausages. If meat is too moist, refrigerate until firm enough to mould. Put wooden skewers into the meat and press around with your fingers. Grill, turning a couple of times during cooking. Under a moderate grill they should take around 20 minutes to cook through. A moderate grill is best as they cook in the centre without getting too charred on the outside.
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