One of the most popular dishes in the world is kofta, a type of meatball or meatloaf made with lots of spices. Usually made with onions, garlic, allspice, cardamon, and cinnamon, kofta packs a unique and flavorful punch!

Many countries throughout Asia and the Middle East have their own version of kofta, with lamb probably being the most popular type of meat that is used. If you’re like me, however, you might have someone in your family who is not a fan of lamb. Good lamb is hard to find where I live, and when I’ve made kofta with lamb it tends to be a bit tough.

For these reasons I present a kofta recipe below that uses ground turkey, which is easily found where I live and which still allows for the delicious kofta flavors to come out. In my recipe, I use bread crumbs and egg to keep the kofta juicy and nicely textured. It’s nice and crusty on the outside, however, since I grill it. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as my family did!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 slice white bread, torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup shallots, peeled, rough sliced
• 2 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup parsley, washed, rough chop
• 1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, sumac
• 1/4 tsp. each salt, black ground pepper, chili flakes, ground nutmeg
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Instructions

Place bread pieces into a food processor and pulse or let the machine run until the bread crumbs ground up well. Set aside.

Finely chop the onion, garlic, and parsley in the same processor. Scrape the processor bowl if necessary.

In a large bowl, mix turkey, bread crumbs, onion mixture, ground spices, and an egg yolk. Mix all ingredients well.

Place in the refrigerator covered for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and divide the mixture into 12 equal portions.

Skewer the two portions of meat into tight a cylinder and then press it to make a two 3 inch logs, see pictures for reference. Repeat with the rest of the meat. You will have 6 skewers, two logs on each.

Heat an indoor electric grill on medium-high. Brush the grill with 1 tbsp. of oil. When hot, place the kebabs on the grill. Be a bit gentle while grilling, as the meat is very delicate. Grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, then turn over and grill for another 4-6 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Brush the finished kofta with the other 1 tbsp. of oil.

You can serve this as an appetizer with Tzatziki sauce, or make a sandwich with pita bread.

Serves 6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!