Spiced lamb kebabs & herbed yoghurt

Serves: 5

Ingredients

For the kebabs
5 skewers
1 small onion, quartered
25g fresh ginger
25g fresh garlic
20g fresh coriander, stalks and leaves
2-3 green chillies, chopped or ½-1 tsp red chilli powder
450g/1lb lamb mince
1 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 large egg, beaten
40g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp oil, for greasing

For the herbed yoghurt
200g Greek-style yoghurt
10g fresh coriander leaves
10g fresh mint leaves, or 1 tbsp good quality dried mint
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
salt, to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve
5 pitta breads
1 small red onion, sliced crosswise into large rings
2 tomatoes, sliced crosswise
crunchy lettuce leaves

Method
1. For the kebabs, using a hand blender, roughly chop the onion, ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies by pulsing, or chop them all by hand. Place into a bowl with the lamb mince, add the cumin, garam masala, salt, egg and breadcrumbs and mix well.

2. Shape five kebabs around the skewers (or into patties if making burgers) and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, or until you are ready to cook them. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking.

3. Meanwhile, for the herbed yoghurt, mix together all the ingredients for the herbed yoghurt in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Preheat the grill to high. Place the kebabs on a well-oiled baking sheet and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. They can also be cooked in an oiled non-stick pan for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway.

5. Warm the pittas as per instructions.

6. To serve, fill the pitta with a bed of lettuce, top with tomatoes and onion rings, a spoonful of the herbed yoghurt and a kebab.

Notes

The kebabs can also be shaped into burger patties. Replace the pitta breads with burger buns.