This recipe makes eight fragrant and delicious vegan kofta kebabs. These skewered delights take 30minutes to prepare, and use just a handful of pantry staples!
There are just a handful of cuisines that lend themselves so seamlessly to the vegan diet that it feels like sitting down to dinner with an old friend. Middle Eastern food is one of those cuisines. From creamy hummus and baba ghanoush to crisp falafels and fresh flavourful salads, the traditional dishes of the Middle East have everything you could ever want.
And while you might not automatically connect the dots between traditional kofta kebabs and veganism these skewered delights are incredibly easy to veganize!
This recipe makes eight fragrant and delicious kofta kebabs and takes less than 30minutes to prepare! I made these on the grill pan to give them that classic smoky flavour, but you can easily take them to the BBQ or use a regular frying pan!
Drizzle generously with a simple yoghurt and mint sauce (included in the recipe) and serve with tabbouleh and flatbread for a wee Middle Eastern feast.
What do you need to know before you make this recipe?
This recipe is relatively straightforward and requires just a handful of pantry staples. As most of the work is in shaping the kofta, a good quality vegan mince is vital. For this recipe, I used Meatless Farm, which is easy to shape and holds together well.
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ingredients
For the koftas
- 3-4 sprigs of mint, woody stalks removed and discarded
- 400g / 14.1oz vegan mince, gluten-free
- ½ onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
For the yoghurt sauce
- 100g / 3.5oz non-dairy plain yoghurt, unsweetened
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- Juice 1 lemon
- 3-4 sprigs of mint, woody stalks removed and discarded
process
Start by preparing the koftas. Finely chop the tender mint leaves and transfer them to a large mixing bowl, along with the vegan mince, grated onion, minced garlic, cumin, coriander and salt.
Mix well and divide the kofta mixture into 8 equal balls. Shape the balls into 4-5cm long sausages and thread a skewer through the centre.
Place a grill pan on the hob at medium heat and use a pastry brush to lightly brush the pan and koftas with olive oil. Grill the koftas in batches for 3-4mins on each side until golden brown.
While the koftas are grilling, make the yoghurt sauce. Finely chop the tender mint leaves and combine them with the remaining ingredients from the sauce.
Notes: Vegan Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients Notes
Vegan Mince
I used Meatless Farm mince that is both vegan and gluten-free. Vegan mince tends to be a little ‘stiff’, which makes it difficult to shape, and it can often have a very soy dominant taste. I like Meatless Farm mince as it’s easy to shape into balls and has a very pleasant flavour. I also really like the vegan mince from Aldi, but it can be harder to find.
Non-dairy Yoghurt
I used the coconut collaborative plain yoghurt which is my go-to vegan yoghurt but any plain unsweetened vegan yoghurt will do.
Recipe Notes
Alternative cooking instructions:
If you don’t have a grill pan you can cook the kebabs in an ordinary frying pan on medium heat for the same amount of time. Just make sure to use a generous amount of oil as they tend to stick more in a frying pan.
OR
Oven bake at 180C/350F for 20-30mins, rotating the kebabs half way through cooking.
