Egypt's charcoal kofta pairs ground beef or lamb with a high proportion of onion, parsley, and warm spices, grilled on flat skewers and almost always ordered as half of the classic 'kabab wa kofta' platter. Served with tahina, baladi bread, and grilled tomatoes at kebabgi grill houses.
Also known as: kofta meshweya, Egyptian kofta, kofta mashwiya, kofta kebab Egypt, kofta wa kabab
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef and lamb mix (20% fat)
- 1 large onion, grated with all its juice
- 25 g parsley, finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- baladi bread or pita, tahina sauce and chopped salad, to serve
How to make it
- 1
Combine the mince with the grated onion and its juice, parsley, spices and salt, kneading a full 5 minutes until pasty.
- 2
Chill 30 minutes, then squeeze handfuls around wide flat skewers into long fingers, pressing gentle ridges with your fingertips.
- 3
Grill over medium charcoal 4-5 minutes per side, turning only once the crust releases from the grate by itself.
- 4
Serve with tahina, chopped salad and warm baladi bread.
Pro tip: Egyptian kofta runs wetter than Levantine versions because the onion juice stays in — the 30-minute chill is what keeps it clinging to the skewer.
