Shawarma Lamb Koftas with Tabbouleh

If you are looking for a recipe for lamb koftas that is incredibly easy, than I think we nailed it with no exception on flavor!  Our Middle Eastern Shawarma Sauce includes a combination of over 10 spices including cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, etc. so you don't have pull out all your spice jars and mix any of this at home because we have already done it for you. :) And this shawarma sauce is the reason these koftas are so full flavored and aromatic.  If you are unfamiliar with this dish, kofta simply means ground spiced meat or pounded meat that is usually formed onto a skewer and grilled. It's origins are Middle Eastern.  For this recipe we served our koftas with tabbouleh and a yogurt sauce made with our Lemon Green Tahini Sauce but you can also serve these koftas with a simple tzatziki or garlic yogurt sauce and sides of hummus, grilled pita bread, cucumber tomato salad, couscous, pickled veggies and fresh lemon.  You can substitute ground beef is you are not a fan of lamb.  

Ingredients

Ingredients For Koftas

1 lb Ground Lamb
1/4 Cup Wozz! Middle Eastern Shawarma Sauce
Salt

Tabbouleh Ingredients

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Bulgar Wheat
1/4 cup Diced Cucumber (seeds removed)
1/4 cup Diced Red Onion
1/4 Diced Tomato (seed removed)
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Medium Clove Garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Chopped Italian Parsley (flat leaf - rough chopped)
1/4 Cup Mint (roughly chopped)
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper

Garnish:

Lemon Tahini Yogurt Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp Wozz! Lemon Green Tahini Dressing  
1 Tbsp Parsley (finely chopped)

Combine ingredients and set aside.

Cucumber Salsa Ingredients

2 Tbsp finely diced cucumber
2 Tbsp finely diced red onion
1 Tbsp Mint finely chopped
Lemon Zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients and set aside

Method:

In a large mixing bowl take the ground lamb, Wozz! Shawarma Marinade and salt and fold ingredients into each other like kneading dough until all ingredients are combined.

Return to the refrigerator and allow to sit to let the flavors really infuse from 1 - 4 hours. But if you are in a rush, jump straight to the next step. You'll still get a great result.

On a tray roll out the lamb into even sized balls, I do a little bit larger than golf ball size. Make it a point to roll out an even number.

Taking your skewers of choice, slide meatballs on a skewer, squishing it with your hand to make a long elongated meat ball.  Add a second meat ball and repeat the method with the goal to cover a good portion of the skewer.

Repeat the process until all meatballs are done.

Tabbouleh

In a small sauce pan with a tight fitting lid, bring the water to a boil seasoned with a pinch of salt. Add the bulgur wheat turn the heat down and simmer for 12 minutes.

Allow to cool before finishing the tabbouleh

Adding the diced tomato, cucumber and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and the cumin, stir until well combined. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and any excess moisture to be absorbed by the bulgur wheat. (adding the olive oil too soon coats everything and inhibits the absorption process and prevents the salt from dissolving)

After 15 minutes add the remaining ingredients (parsley, mint, lemon juice, red onion, olive oil) and stir until well combined.

Check seasoning and add more lemon juice or salt and pepper if desired.  

Grilling:

Heat up the grill, cleaned with a wire brush and rub down with oil just before starting to grill.

Place the lamb shawarma skewers on the hottest part of the grill.  Grill 5 minutes one side, turn and grill the other side for 3-5 minutes.

To Serve:

Spread the tahini yogurt across the base of a platter. Pile the Kofta kebabs on top and finish with the cucumber mint salsa garnish. Add tabbouleh salad and serve.

Additional sides include: Pickled onion (shown), grilled pita or naan bread, hummus, tzatziki, garlic yogurt sauce, lemon wedges, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), couscous, garlic sauce.