Kofta with Saffron Rice

Do you love Middle Eastern flavors? Then you’re going to love Kofta. It is a great way to use ground beef, especially if you purchased enough to fill your freezer! You can make Kofta with white rice as well or with any other side dishes you choose. However, for this recipe, we wanted to include the directions on how to make Saffron Rice, because it’s more authentic. Where in the middle east was this inspired? This style of Kofta is very common in the country of Jordan. Locals also use potatoes instead of tomatoes as a topping in case you want to try it in different ways!

Ingredients:

•  ½  bunch of Parsley (chopped, ¼ set aside some for topping as well)
• 1 tsp. cumin 
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. ground beef 
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tomatoes (alternative deep fried potato slices)

Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp. Tahini
• 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt 
• 3-4 Tbsp. Lemon juice 
• Salt to taste
• Hot water to dilute the sauce’s thickness if it’s still thick after adding the meat juices.

Kofta Directions:

• Mix raw ground beef with spices, ¼ bunch parsley garlic, and onion.
• Place in bottom of a baking pan, spreading over the whole bottom. 
• Put the meat in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
• When the juices from the meat start to come out, take the pan out of the oven and drain off the juices of the meat. 
• Mix the juices with the sauce. 
• Pour mixed sauce over the meat. 
• Place slices of tomato on top, covering the whole pan
• Return the meat to the oven, and bake till meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 F degrees (note a more traditional style would cook the Kofta until the tomatoes are fully baked)

Saffron Rice:

• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• 3 ½ cups of chicken broth
• ¼ tsp of Saffron (1 tsp. Turmeric substitution if you don’t have any)
• 5 cardamom pods (whole)
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice 

Saffron Rice Directions: 

• Prepare rice on the stove substituting broth for what normally would be water. 
• Add all additional spices to broth and rice (except for lemon juice) 
• Cover rice and simmer until Basmati is fluffy (approximately 20 minutes)
• Take rice off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve
• Add lemon juice over top of rice before serving