Well let’s say the past week has been Arabic theme nights in my kitchen.

The earlier post on the Hummus and Moutabal got me experimenting with some Lebanese grills last night. I do make the Indian version of the

seekh kebab quite often.This Arabic meat mixture has just a few key ingredients and the main difference being it’s heavy on the chopped parsley.

With the weather turning slightly cooler we decided to brave the outdoors last evening and dusted off the outdoor grill. These kaftas get done quite easily on a Gas grill or even a charcoal one. I personally love the smoky flavors of charcoal but the less messy one to use would be the gas grill.

Some key tips in making Kaftas:

• It is essential to use slightly fatty minced meat versus very lean meat as the fat helps in binding the kaftas together.
• Try not molding the kaftas too long as they then tend to fall apart.
• Beaten egg white works as a great binder.
• If you are using an outdoor grill do first lightly sear each meat skewer over a gas flame to it binds well.
• Lay onto the gas grill after the step above and the meat will never fall apart.

Lebanese Kafta (with Garlic & Parsley)

Ingredients:

• 250 grams minced lamb or Indian mutton mince
• 250 grams minced beef (omit and use all lamb or all mutton mince)
• 1 medium red Onion (chopped finely)
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley (chopped finely)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)

Directions:

1. Put all the above ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Now lightly oil the palms and take some of the meat mixture and form them into slightly elongated kaftas onto metal skewers.
3. Do not make them too long else they will break.
4. These should be lightly held over a gas flame for about a minute each so they bind and will not break.
5. If using an outdoor grill go ahead and put them on the grill and cook for about 20-25 minutes.
6. Make some you rotate the skewers in between and baste with oil.
7. Alternatively once you have lightly seared them on the gas flame you could lay them on a greased baking tray (without the skewers) and bake at 180-190 C for about 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink from inside.