Shish Kafta is a quintessential grilled meat recipe in Lebanese cuisine that consists of ground meat mixed with diced onions, parsley and spices. You can use beef, lamb, a mix of both or even chicken, but this recipe is most commonly made with beef. This mixture is then formed around skewers and cooked on a hot grill. Serve the finished kabobs over a bed of rice or use them to make pita wraps with hommus, pickles, chopped parsley white onions and tomatoes. All of your ingredients and supplies can be found next door at Middle East Market!

You can also use the kafta meat mixture to make other dishes, such as Arayes pita, meatballs and burgers. Kafta can be used in almost any context that you would use ground meat. Have fun and experiment! You can’t go wrong with this classic recipe.

Ingredients:

8 servings

• 2 lbs ground meat of your choice
  • Beef, lamb, chicken or beef and lamb mixed
  • 85/15 fat content for red meat
• 2 tbsp. finely diced onion
  • White or yellow onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• 2 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. crushed dried mint
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Additional Supplies:

• Skewers
  • Metal is optimal, but wood works too
  • 12 inches or shorter
• Grill
  • You can also use a pan on a stovetop, but using a grill will give the most authentic taste

Instructions:

• Combine the meat, onion, garlic, spices and herbs in a bowl. Cover and chill for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight.
• Heat the grill to medium. Grilling with charcoal will taste the best, but a gas grill will work just fine.
• Use ½ cup portions of the meat mixture to form the meat along the length of the skewers.
• Place the prepped skewers on the grill. Close the lid and let them cook for about 3 minutes. Flip the skewers and let them cook for another 5 minutes, or until the meat reaches 135 °F.
• Remove the skewers from the grill, lightly brush the kafta with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
• Pair it with Tabbouleh salad or Hommus from Sidon for a match made in heaven!