Carnival of the Recipes #25 - Spiced Indian Kofta

This one I have cooked a lot over this summer, works great on both the BBQ and the stove. It is easy to make and yummy to eat.
Recipe is from Ainsley Harriott's Barbeque Bible (1997)

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g (1lb) lean minced beef
1 garlic clove, crushed
2.5cm (1 inch) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 green chilli, seeded and very finely chopped
3 tbsp Greek natural yoghurt
a little sunflower oil for brushing
lemon wedges and extra Greek yoghurt to serve

Method

Put everything except the oil for brushing into a bowl and mix it together well with your hands.
Divide the mixture into 8 and then shape each piece into a sausage. * The recipe says to shape around a skewer, but I've found it easier to cook and eat if you don't do this.
Brush the koftas with a little oil and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning now and then, until lightly browned and cooked through. Serve with the lemon wedges and the natural yoghurt.
I tend to serve this with either a salad or veges as well.

Variation
Substitute minced lamb for the minced beef and chopped mint for the chopped coriander (cilantro). Divide the mixture into 16 and shape into little egg-shaped balls around 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes of fetta cheese (you will need to buy about 100g (4 oz)). Thread the balls onto 4 soaked bamboo skewers before cooking and serve with Mellow Minty Yoghurt sauce (recipe below)

Mellow Minty Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients

175g (6oz) Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp mint jelly
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Simply mix all the ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour before serving (I've served it with almost no chilling time, still yummy, so don't stress about this part too much)