Harissa Spiced Beef Kofta

45 mins Prep Time

20 mins Cook Time

Written By

Tara Omidvar

These Beef Koftas are bursting with flavour. Charred harissa spiced beef, on a bed of tzatziki, topped with pickled red onion, sumac and fresh dill.

Harissa is a North African red chili paste, made of chilis, olive oil, garlic, citrus and spices. It's spicy, tangy and slightly sweet, the perfect pair for different kinds of proteins. You can make harissa paste at home or find it in grocery stores.

While I basically made most of these components from scratch, you can totally use store bought pickled red onion and tzatziki for a short cut.

You can make this kofta on a stove top, grill or bake them in the oven, either way they will be flavorful and juicy.

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onion

1 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Tzatziki

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cucumber, grated
1 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 teaspoon sea salt

Harissa Beef

400 grams ground beef
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

To Serve

2 small pita or naan
1 cup pickles
1 teaspoon sumac
Fresh dill
Lemon wedges

Directions

Pickled Red Onion

4 Steps

Step 1

Place the sliced onions in a jar.
Step 2

In a saucepan, add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Step 3

Let cool for a few minutes and pour over the onions. Let it come to room temperature, then close the lid tightly and store in fridge.
Step 4

Pickled onions are ready to eat after about 45 minutes.

Tzatziki

1 Steps

Step 1

In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Harissa Beef

7 Steps

Step 1

In a bowl, add all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Use your hand and mix everything well together.
Step 2

Divide the mixture into six equal parts.
Step 3

Shape the portions into long, thick sausages. Insert a skewer through each kofta and squeeze the meat onto the skewer.
Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat.
Step 5

Place the koftas into the pan and cook for three to four minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Step 6

Spread the tzatziki on a serving plate. Top with Koftas, pickled red onion, sumac and dill.
Step 7

Serve with pita, pickle and lemon wedges. Enjoy!