An Aleppo-lineage kofta of hand-minced lamb loaded with garlic, parsley and hot red pepper, grilled on skewers and then typically smothered in a smoky grilled-tomato sauce. The name refers to the fine chopping of the chili-pepper mix, and it is a fixture of Syrian and south-Turkish border grill houses.
Also known as: kafta khoshkhash, kofta khashkhash, khashkhash kebab, kebab khashkhash, kafta khashkhash halabiye
Ingredients
- 600 g coarsely minced lamb (20% fat), ideally hand-chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, pounded to a paste
- 25 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- flatbread, to serve
How to make it
- 1
Work the garlic, parsley, Aleppo pepper and salt through the lamb with a light hand — combined, not compacted.
- 2
Shape onto flat skewers in long ridged fingers and park them in the fridge while the coals settle.
- 3
Grill the kofta and the whole tomatoes side by side: the meat 8-9 minutes with quarter turns, the tomatoes until their skins split.
- 4
Peel the tomatoes and crush them on the serving dish with olive oil and a pinch of salt into a rough, warm sauce.
- 5
Lay the kofta over the crushed tomatoes and blanket with flatbread for 2 minutes before serving, so the bread traps the steam.
Pro tip: Ask for a single coarse grind or chop by knife: Aleppo khashkhash lives on that loose, almost crumbly bite that a fine paste kills.
