Lamb Kofta Sandwich

History

Kofta — spiced ground meat shaped into cylinders or patties — is one of the oldest preparations in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine, with roots stretching back thousands of years across Persia, the Levant and the Ottoman Empire. The kofta sandwich, grilled over charcoal and wrapped in warm flatbread with tahini, chopped tomato, cucumber, onion and fresh parsley, is a staple of street food from Beirut to Marrakech and Cairo to Istanbul. Simple, fragrant and deeply satisfying, it represents one of the great sandwich traditions of the world.

Ingredients

• Warm pita bread
• Ground lamb
• Onion (grated)
• Fresh parsley (chopped)
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Cinnamon
• Allspice
• Salt and black pepper
• Tahini sauce
• Chopped tomato
• Sliced cucumber
• Fresh mint leaves

How to Make

1. 1Combine ground lamb with grated onion, parsley, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper. Mix well.
2. 2Shape into long cylinders around skewers or into flat patties.
3. 3Grill over high heat, turning, until charred outside and cooked through, about 8–10 minutes.
4. 4Warm pita on the grill for 30 seconds per side.
5. 5Spread tahini sauce generously inside the pita.
6. 6Slide kofta off the skewer into the pita and top with chopped tomato, cucumber and fresh mint.