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Lamb Kofta Kebab Recipe

When it comes to kebabs these lamb koftas really do take some beating. They’re simple to make and can be cooked equally well in a tandoor, on a bbq or on a griddle plan in the kitchen.

There are literally thousands of variations on this recipe out there inspired by various countries accross europe and the middle east. We have settled on this recipe after much experimentation. It provides a good balance of complex flavours with ease of preperation.

Lamb Kofta Kebab Recipe Ingredients

Lean minced lamb (1kg)
1 small finely chopped onion
3 tsp paprika
3 teaspoon of hot chilli powder
3 tsp ground coriander seeds
3 tsp ground cumin
1 finely chopped clove of garlic
1 fresh green birds eye chilli
1 large handfull of freshly chopped coriander
salt & pepper to taste

Simply combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. I prefer to then leave the mixture to ‘marinate’ in the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to combine.

For the best results it’s best to shape the kebabs either into patties or onto skewers then refrigerate for at least 1 hour – this will help them to keep their shape and not fall apart during the cooking process. One simple tip is to wet your hands before shaping the lamb to help prevent the mixture sticking to your hands.

If you are using wooden skewers it’s a good idea to soak them in hot water for 30 minutes before shaping the meat onto them. This will both help stop the skewers splintering and help prevent the skewers burning if you’re cooking them on a bbq.

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Tandoori Marinade Recipe

After much experimentation below is our favorite tandoori marinade mix. This is ideal for using as a marinade for tandoori chicken, vegetables or paneer.

The secret to this marinade is the atta or gram flour. It is this that helps bind the mix to the ingredients and stick to the food during the cooking process.

As with all marinades the longer this is sat in a bowl with the ingredients the better. I aim for at least overnight in the fridge in order to make sure as much of the flavors penetrate the food as possible.

Tandoori marinade Ingredients

450g of natrural yogurt
2 tablespoons of Gram Flour (atta)
2 teaspoons of red chilli powder
1 ground birds eye chilli
2 teaspoons of turmeric
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of ground coriander seeds
salt to taste

As you’d expect this is a fairly forgiving recipe so don’t worry too much if you don’t have all of the ingredients, feel free to adapt it to your tastes and preferences.

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Self Watering Plant Trays

It seems like I’m forever watering my plants or worrying about if they’re drying out while I’m at work or away for an odd day or two. In fact it is the bain of my gardening life.

A while ago now I posted about how I’ve built some self watering pots to use over the summer months when my chilli plants are more mature. However now I have a large population of chilli seedlings I’ve remembered that the watering problem is even worse when plants are smaller. Not only do the small pots dry out quicker but the tender plants/seedlings in them are much more vulnerable to variations in conditions compared to established plants.

So at the weekend I got my thinking cap on and decided to come up with an effective self watering system to use with young plants and seedlings.

My Self Watering System for Seedlings

At the heart of the system I came up with is the use of the ever useful capillary matting. When raising seedlings my father always has a large tray on the bench of his greenhouse with a layer of capillary matting placed in the bottom. He simply puts the plastic plant pots on top and waters the matting in the bottom of the tray twice a day.

The soil in the bottom of each pot is kept moist by the wet matting underneath each pot. A key benefit of this watering from beneath is that the plants are encouraged to grow strong roots as they grow downwards in search of the moisture.

The problem I had to solve with the above system was how to keep the capillary mat moist at all times and remove the need to water it twice per day (or more in mid summer). The solution I came up with is pretty simple.

After reading this article about using sunken terracotta pots buried in larger pots or beds I decided that using a terracotta pot might be the answer. They work well as water reservoirs due to the fact that they are semi permeable to water. If you fill a terracotta pot up with water, it will very slowly leach out of the pot over the period of a few days.

First take an unglazed terracotta pot and filled in the small hole in the bottom with some regular kitchen/bathroom sealant. Next simply stand the terracotta pot on the matting alongside the rest of the plants and fill it with water.

Because the terracotta is porous, moisture will be sucked out of the water reservoir through the terracotta pot making the mat wet once again. Here’s a quick sketch of what the finished result looks like:

Like all good DIY projects this one is incredibly simple and cheap to make. The simplicity means there is not a huge amount that can go wrong with the system. So long as you are careful to fully seal the hole/s in the bottom of your pot and you terracotta pot is sufficiently porous (i.e. unglazed) then nothing can go wrong.

In order to prevent algae forming in the water reservoir I usually place a plant pot saucer over the pot to keep the light out. All I now have to do is check the water level inside the terracotta pot every few days and top it up as necessary.

From my experience, chilli plants love consistent conditions. When conditions (heat, light, moisture etc) change it places stress the plants which invariably causes growth to slow, foliage to be damaged and a reduction in your eventual yield. Like all self watering systems this method allows a constant supply of water to the roots meaning there is one less variable for you to worry about.

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