Equipment
Ingredients
Patties
- 910 g ground lamb
- 6 g salt
- 2 g black pepper
- 6 g cumin
- 3 g ground coriander
- 2 g dried oregano
- 1 g cinnamon
- 24 g scallion, finely chopped
- 30 g cilantro, chopped
- 6 g mint, chopped
- 2 g garlic, minced
Onions
- 45 ml olive oil
- 100 g onion, sliced into 6mm (1/4-inch) half-moons
Sauce
- 43 g tahini
- 45 ml lemon juice
- 2 garlic, finely grated
- 1 g cayenne pepper
- 360 g yogurt
Serving
- 5 pita bread
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 905 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbohydrates
- 50 g
- Fat
- 60 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 992 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 27 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Cholesterol
- 142 mg
- Potassium
- 779 mg
- Calcium
- 229 mg
- Iron
- 6.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 86 mg
- Phosphorus
- 512 mg
- Zinc
- 7.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 151 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 26 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 4.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.80 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.75 mg
- Niacin
- 14.8 mg
- Folate
- 132 mcg
- Water
- 227 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a medium bowl, combine the ground lamb, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, scallions, cilantro, mint, and minced garlic.
Knead the mixture thoroughly with lightly wet hands to ensure the spices and herbs are evenly distributed.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to allow the flavors to develop.
Prepare the sauce by whisking together tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl until the tahini dissolves.
Stir the yogurt into the tahini mixture until smooth and season with salt to taste.
Heat 45ml of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the sliced onions to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they are deeply browned and crisp, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the fried onions to a paper-towel lined plate to drain and season lightly with salt.
Preheat your grill, cast-iron pan, or broiler to medium-high heat.
Divide the chilled lamb mixture into 5 equal portions and shape them into oval patties approximately 2.5cm (1-inch) thick.
Grill the patties for 4-5 minutes per side. Aim for 54°C (130°F) for medium-rare or 60°C (140°F) for medium.
Transfer the patties to a warm plate and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Serve the patties topped with fried onions, accompanied by the tahini-yogurt sauce and optional pita bread.
Chef's Notes
- Using wet hands prevents the meat from sticking to your skin and helps create a smooth surface on the patties.
- For the best results, use ground lamb with at least 20% fat content.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store patties and sauce in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze raw patties only; sauce and fried onions do not freeze well.
Reheating: Reheat patties in a pan over medium heat until an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) is reached.
Troubleshooting
Patties are falling apart on the grill
Cause: The meat mixture was not chilled long enough or was handled too much while warm.
Fix: If grilling is difficult, finish the patties in a cast-iron skillet to minimize handling.
Prevention: Ensure the mixture chills for at least 1 hour to allow the proteins to bind.
Onions are burnt and bitter
Cause: Heat was too high or onions were not stirred frequently enough.
Fix: Cannot be fixed if burnt; discard and restart.
Prevention: Lower the heat once the onions begin to brown and stir constantly in the final minutes.
Cultural Context
These patties are a variation of Kofta, a family of minced meat dishes popular across Middle Eastern, Balkan, and South Asian cuisines.
