Anne Morgan Delia Smith’s lamb koftas are her Spiced Lamb Koftas Braised in Tomato Sauce, a party dish for 12 people. You roll spiced minced lamb into small balls, brown them, then simmer them in a tomato sauce with cinnamon. It takes a little over 2 hours, but you can make it the day before and finish it on the day.
They come from the hot buffet in How to Cook Book Three, where she cooks a Middle Eastern spread for 12. She says the recipe is just as good for a smaller table.
Each kofta is about walnut size, with toasted cumin and coriander seeds, mint and coriander leaves. The sauce is only tomatoes, onion, garlic and cinnamon, so it tastes light.
Delia Smith’s Spiced Lamb Koftas in Tomato Sauce
Course: DinnerCuisine: Middle EasternDifficulty: Easy12
servings30
minutes1
hour50
minutes380
kcalSmall balls of minced lamb with toasted seeds and herbs, browned in batches. They cook slowly in a cinnamon and tomato sauce until it thickens.
Ingredients
- For the koftas:
1.35kg (3lb) minced lamb
3 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 small onions, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons coriander leaves
5-6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper
- For the sauce:
1.35kg (3lb) tomatoes
350g (12oz) onions (about 2 medium), finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Spices: Dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until they jump and pop. Crush them as finely as you can with a pestle and mortar.
- Mix: Put the lamb in a large bowl. Pulse the onion chunks with the mint and coriander leaves in a food processor until the onion is finely chopped. Add this to the lamb with the spices and plenty of seasoning, then mix it well with your hands.
- Roll: Roll small amounts between your palms into rounds a little bigger than a walnut. You should get about 48.
- Brown: Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Brown the koftas on all sides, about 6 at a time, and set them on a plate. Add more oil as you need it.
- Tomatoes: Meanwhile, cover the tomatoes with boiling water for exactly 1 minute, or 15 to 30 seconds if they are small. Slip off the skins and chop them into small pieces.
- Onions: Heat another tablespoon of oil in the casserole over a high heat. Fry the onions for about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden brown, then add the garlic for about a minute.
- Simmer: Stir in the tomatoes and cinnamon, then add the koftas and stir once more. Turn the heat down low, put the lid on and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Reduce: Take off the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes, so the sauce thickens.
Notes
- You need a lidded flameproof casserole of about 4 litres (7 pints).
- My own tip is to lift out the cinnamon pieces before you serve it.
FAQs
How do I make lamb koftas for 4?
Use a third of everything, as Delia suggests. That makes about 16 koftas, enough for 4 people.
For the koftas, use 450g of minced lamb, a teaspoon each of coriander and cumin seeds and 1 small onion. Add a tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves, and fry them in about 2 tablespoons of oil. For the sauce, use 450g of tomatoes, about 120g of onion, 1 garlic clove and half a cinnamon stick.
The times stay much the same, but you only brown 3 batches. These smaller amounts are our sums of her rule, my own working.
Can I make the koftas the day before?
Yes, and that is how Delia plans her buffet. The day before, she simmers them with the lid on for 30 minutes only. Then she cools them and keeps them in a lidded box in the fridge.
On the day, about 50 minutes before serving, bring them back to a simmer in a covered saucepan on a medium hob. Then take the lid off and let them bubble gently for half an hour, until the sauce thickens and the koftas are hot right through.
What did Delia serve with her koftas?
They are the centre of her hot Middle Eastern buffet. With them she serves stuffed yellow peppers filled with pilau rice, currants and toasted pine nuts. There are also courgette and potato cakes with mint and feta, and a mixed vegetable salad à la grecque.
She also suggests warm pitta bread and a double batch of hummus. Pudding is a Greek orange and honey syrup cake with yoghurt and pistachio.
How do I make her kofta kebab for one?
Her One is Fun book has grilled kofta kebabs for one person. Mince a 225g lamb steak finely, fat and all, because the fat keeps the kebabs moist.
Crush ⅓ teaspoon each of cumin and coriander seeds, then mix them into the lamb with a heaped dessertspoon of chopped mint, salt and pepper. Then shape pieces the size of a small egg into rough sausages and thread them loosely onto a flat skewer.
Brush them with a little oil and grill them close to the heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning now and then. Serve them with slivers of onion and a lemon quarter.
What is the difference between koftas and kebabs?
Koftas are made from minced lamb, shaped into balls or small sausages. Her lamb kebabs use cubes of lamb, marinated and threaded on skewers with vegetables.
So the koftas here are braised in a sauce, while kebabs go straight onto the grill or barbecue.
