Kafta - Lebanese Minced Meat Skewers with Parsley and Onion
Mince, onion and a great deal of parsley are kneaded by hand into a paste and pressed around the skewer. No egg, no bread - the binding comes from the kneading alone.
- 35 minutes
- 4 servings
- Main course
- gluten-free
- nut-free
- lactose-free
- omnivore
- high in protein
- vitamin-k-reich
- zinkreich
Ingredients
- 500 g Ground beef (traditionally lamb)
- 150 g Onion (very finely grated and squeezed out)
- 60 g Parsley (finely cut)
- 3 g Cumin
- 1 g Cinnamon (unusual in meat, but typical here)
- 5 g Salt
- 1 g Black Pepper
Instructions
- Grate the onion very finely and wring it out hard in a cloth. Throw the liquid away - it would slacken the mixture.
- Cut the parsley fine and combine it with the mince, onion, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Knead the mixture by hand for five minutes until it sticks together and pulls away from the bowl. This replaces egg and breadcrumbs.
- Chill for an hour.
- With damp hands shape eight long rolls and press them firmly around flat skewers. Without skewers they work equally well as flat patties.
- Grill or use a griddle pan over high heat for six to eight minutes, turning twice.
- Serve with tabbouleh, flatbread and yoghurt.
Warum Kafta ohne Ei hält
As you knead, the salt draws the muscle proteins myosin and actin out of the fibres. They interlock into a network that sets on cooking - the same principle behind an emulsified sausage. Egg would only get in the way.
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