Recipes › Cucumber › Cucumber and Lamb Kofta Flatbreads with Tzatziki
Cucumber and Lamb Kofta Flatbreads with Tzatziki
Spiced lamb kofta hot off the grill, tucked into warm flatbreads with a generous amount of cucumber tzatziki — this is proper weeknight food that feels like a treat. The cucumber does double duty here: grated into the yoghurt sauce in large quantities, it is the cooling, creamy element that makes the whole dish. Fresh, abundant and genuinely satisfying.
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Ingredients
- 500 g cucumber, coarsely grated
- 600 g minced lambor minced beef
- 1 onion, finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced — 2 for kofta, 2 for tzatziki
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 300 full-fat Greek yoghurt
- 15 g fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 flatbreadsor pitta breads
- 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Contains: cereals gluten, eggs, milk.
Method
- Start with the tzatziki. Place the grated cucumber in a clean tea towel and squeeze firmly over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. You want the cucumber as dry as you can get it — this is what stops your tzatziki going watery.About 3 min
- Mix the drained cucumber with the Greek yoghurt, 2 minced garlic cloves, chopped mint, lemon juice, olive oil and 0.5 tsp of the salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate while you make the kofta.About 3 min
- In a large bowl, combine the minced lamb, grated onion, remaining 2 garlic cloves, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, chilli flakes and remaining 1 tsp salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands for about 2 minutes — this develops the proteins and helps the kofta hold together on the grill.About 4 min
- Divide the meat mixture into 12 equal portions of roughly 50g each. Shape each into an oval patty about 8cm long. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 10 minutes if you have time, which helps them firm up.About 5 min
- Heat a griddle pan or heavy frying pan over high heat until very hot. Cook the kofta in batches — do not crowd the pan — for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply charred on the outside and just cooked through. Rest on a warm plate covered loosely with foil while you cook the remaining batches.About 15 min
- Warm the flatbreads in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame for 30 seconds per side. Serve the kofta on the flatbreads with a generous heap of tzatziki and scatter with parsley if using.About 2 min
Tips
- Squeezing the cucumber really dry is the single most important step for a good tzatziki. Do it twice if the cucumber feels heavy with water.
- Mixing the lamb mixture for a full 2 minutes makes a real difference to texture — the kofta will stay together and have a more satisfying bite rather than crumbling.
- Make the tzatziki up to 4 hours ahead — it only improves as the garlic and mint infuse into the yoghurt.
Ring the changes
- Use minced chicken thigh instead of lamb for a lighter version — add 1 tbsp olive oil to the mix as chicken is less fatty.
- For a gluten-free version, serve with rice or in lettuce cups instead of flatbreads.
Keeping it
Cooked kofta keep in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat well in a hot pan. Tzatziki keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days — give it a stir before serving. Do not freeze the tzatziki.
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