Kafta Mishwi (Lebanese Grilled Spiced Meat Skewers)

About This Recipe

Kafta is a foundational preparation across Lebanese cooking, ground meat worked with a heavy hand of fresh parsley and grated onion until the mixture becomes fine, cohesive and deeply aromatic well before it even reaches the grill. Unlike some regional versions that rely mostly on cumin, Lebanese kafta leans on baharat and a generous amount of parsley for a fresher, herbier finish, the meat mixture shaped by hand directly onto flat skewers. Grilled hot and fast, kafta develops a good char on the outside while staying juicy within, traditionally served with grilled tomatoes and onions, hummus, and warm pita for a complete Lebanese grill plate.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground beef
• 300 gground lamb
• 1onion(grated and squeezed dry)
• 1 cupchopped parsley
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1.5 tspbaharat
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 2tomatoes(for grilling)
• 1onion(cut into wedges, for grilling)
• 4pita breads(for serving)
• 1 cuphummus(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the meat

   Combine ground beef and lamb with grated onion, parsley, garlic, baharat, salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Knead

   Knead the mixture by hand for 3-5 minutes until it becomes fine and slightly sticky.

3. 3

   Shape onto skewers

   Mold the mixture around flat metal skewers into long, evenly shaped logs.

4. 4

   Chill briefly

   Refrigerate the shaped skewers 15-20 minutes to help them hold together.

5. 5

   Grill

   Grill over high heat, turning, 8-10 minutes total until well charred and cooked through.

   A hot, fast grill develops the best char without drying out the lean parts of the meat mixture.

6. 6

   Grill the vegetables

   Grill tomatoes and onion wedges alongside until softened and charred.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve the kafta skewers with grilled vegetables, hummus, and warm pita.

Variations

• •

  A version with pine nuts mixed into the meat adds extra texture and richness.

• •

  Kafta can also be baked in a tray with tomatoes and potatoes (kafta bil sanieh) instead of grilled.

• •

  All-beef or all-lamb versions work fine if you don't want to mix the two meats.

Storage

Best grilled fresh; the raw seasoned mixture keeps refrigerated up to 2 days before shaping and grilling. Cooked leftovers reheat well in a hot dry pan.

Frequently Asked Questions