Egyptian Kofta

Over the years, our travels have taken Brion and I to many interesting places in the world. Each has left us with amazing memories.

In November of 2009, before Egypt was in such disarray, we explored this ancient country. You could safely say that time has not lessened the mystique of the world’s oldest tourist attraction. No matter how many pictures you look at, or how much you read on the internet, there is just nothing as powerful as seeing the real thing. Brion’s ability to speak fluent Arabic was a huge bonus for us while in Egypt.

The flight from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Cairo, Egypt was a bit grueling at 16 hours long but we ‘recovered’ fairly fast. To make the most of our vacation, we divided it into four segments; – five days in Cairo, six days in Alexandria, eight days on a Nile River cruise and the last week at Sharm El Shiekh on the Red Sea.

The Nile River cruise was definitely the highlight of the vacation. We boarded the ‘Helio’ cruise ship in Luxor which took us to Aswan and back. Each day the ship would dock at various sites along the way and our personal guide would take us to explore temples, tombs, the high dam and the beautiful botanical gardens at Kitchener Island. It was such an incredible experience viewing the sights and sounds as you slowly sailed along. Travel is a good reality check to make us appreciate what we have in our own lives and so often take for granted.

Every evening, the supper buffet on the ship was created with a different theme. One of the items Brion really enjoyed was ‘EGYPTIAN KOFTA’. Egypt’s local and rich resources of fresh foods coming from the Nile Valley, has given the world some of the most coveted cuisines. Egyptian food is a mixture of all the different civilizations that came to Egypt in the history of its existence.

The word kofta (or kefta) has its origins in Persia. Although you can make meat, seafood or vegetarian kofta, the most popular in Egypt is a mixture of ground beef and lamb combined with onions, garlic, parsley and a ‘BAHARAT’ spice blend.

Along with my recipe today, I thought you may enjoy to look at some of the photos from our Nile River cruise. 

Print Recipe

Kofta

This is the burger meat of the Middle East.

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

Finger Food Buffet, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Moroccan

Servings

skewers MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 908 grams (2 lbs) lean ground meat (a combination of beef, pork or lamb) I prefer a beef/pork combo myself
• 1/2 cup onion, grated or very finely minced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp corriander
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/16 tsp cardamom
• 1/16 tsp cloves

Course Finger Food Buffet, Lunch, Main Dish Cuisine Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Moroccan Servings skewers MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 908 grams (2 lbs) lean ground meat (a combination of beef, pork or lamb) I prefer a beef/pork combo myself 1/2 cup onion, grated or very finely minced 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced 2 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp corriander 1/8 tsp cinnamon 1/16 tsp cardamom 1/16 tsp cloves

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Soak 16 wooden skewers in water for about 1 hour; remove from the water when you are ready to begin. Lightly oil grates of grill or BBQ & preheat to medium high temperature.

   
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Divide meat mixture into 16 portions. Mold each onto a wooden skewer to form a 'kofta kebab' about 1-inch thickness.

   
3. Place kebabs on lightly oiled, heated grill or BBQ. Grill for 4 minutes on one side, turn over & grill for another 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately with mini pita breads, tahini, hummus or yogurt dip.