Lately, I have been on the African trail of food discoveries. I have been working on different variations of the lamb kebab from North Africa and I think I have found a winner.
Kebabs are made in different ways, with different meats, depending on the African country they are originating from. In South Africa, lamb kebabs are also called sosaties and would never be made out of ground meat (that is reserved for sausages). Sosaties are part of all great South African Braiis (BBQ for the rest of the world). They were brought to South Africa by the Malaysian laborers and are considered a staple of Malay cuisine. I will follow up with some sosatie recipes in the upcoming weeks.
Now back to the North African lamb kebab! I have tasted variations of the Moroccan lamb kebab and have finally decided to have a go at it myself. After a few average attempts, I have come to the conclusion that it is all in the spice mix and the flavours. Hope you enjoy this recipe.
- 1 lb (500gm) lamb mince
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1tsp ginger, finely minced
- 1tbsp grilled pine nuts ( can be done in oven or on stove top)
- 1tsp ground cumin *
- 1tsp ground paprika *
- 1tsp ground coriander *
- 2tsp fresh mint, finely minced
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- pinch chili flakes
- 12 skewers, soaked in water or wine/water mixture for an hour
- * spices can be toasted then ground for more flavour[br][b]Aubergines:[/b]
- 2 aubergines (eggplants), sliced
- olive oil for basting slices
- sea salt and pepper[br][b]Cucumber Sauce:[/b]
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1tbsp Lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup mint, chopped
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1cup mixed lettuce, chopped
- [br][b]Kebabs:[/b]
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour
- Shape spiced lamb mixture into sausage shapes around skewers
- Rub grilling surface with oil and grill on open fire or in grill pan.
- In all cases, slices need to be turned half way through the cooking process.[br][b]Aubergines:[/b]
- Slice aubergines into 1-1.5cm thick slices.
- Rub each side with olive oil and sea salt.
- The slices can either be grilled on a BBQ, in a grill pan or baked in the oven.[br][b]Cucumber Sauce:[/b]
- Mix together, yoghurt, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and herbs.
- Let sit for ½ hour to allow flavours to build.[br][b]To serve:[/b]
- Combine lettuce with aubergines
- Drizzle dressing over aubergines and chopped lettuce
- Season with sea salt and pepper
- Serve with kebabs on the side and grilled flat bread
*there will be left over dressing for use on other salads.
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