When most people think of skewers, they think meat or fish.
I don't consume either anymore. Today I will do my version of Kafta kebabs which are a middle eastern dish made minced meat, usually beef or lamb. I am using lentils and ground items found in my pantry.
When I was younger working for a friend in her bakery, we used to go for three hour lunches and the only place we could loiter that long was at a Lebanese restaurant where I was introduced to many tastes that I hadn't had before like hummus, shish tawouk, and kafta. I was full fledged eating meat and dairy in those days. I loved every bite of this cuisine and was left with extremely fond memories of these feasts.
This place had signature sauces like garlic sauce, and a tomato sauce with a spicy cinnamon flavor. Today I made a tahini sauce to replace the garlic sauce and a tomato sauce to try and replicate the one in the restaurant.
For the kafta, I used chickpeas, lentils, quinoa and soy protein.
I ground up all of them into flour except the soy protein.
For moisture and flavor I used to large king oyster mushrooms and minced them.
Also to add to the moisture and texture, I grated one medium carrot, 1 cup finely chopped parsley, 2 chilies, 1 large shallot and 2 cloves garlic.
The spices I used were not necessarily the exact ones used in a traditional kafta however it included some that are. I just chose some spices and herbs that I wanted.
1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon oregano 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon veggie broth, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder.
The liquids I chose were random and just what I thought could wet down the mixture and add some extra flavor.
1/4 cup soy cooking cream, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, a little water after mixing.
After mixing all of the ingredients together I decided to add two tablespoons of tapioca flour to make sure it stuck together.
I formed the kafta into the shape that they typically are in.
Before I put them on skewers I steamed them in my electric steamer. The reason for this is that since I was putting them in the oven to grill, I didn't want them to dry out from the oven. Unfortunately there is no barbecuing in this whether. It would have been nice over fire to get that charred taste but you have to make due sometimes.
Before they went in the oven I put skewers in them which was easy because they had already been cooked. I brushed them all over with olive oil then put them under the grill flipping after five minutes or so until they had a brown color.
Then I made the sauce. The tomato sauce was made with grilled tomatoes, onion and garlic. There were a ton of tomatoes in bargain bin at the supermarket so I got around twenty tomatoes for two dollars. That is exciting when I see things like that.
After they were grilled I purreed them and added some onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, cumin, a pinch of cinnamon, thyme and oregano.
I sauteed onion and garlic then added the tomato mixture. I added salt to taste. Then blended it again.
The tahini sauce was made with 1/4 cup tahini, juice of two lemons, 4 cloves garlic, salt, pepper and sumac. It was blended smooth. I added a bit of olive oil to get the blender going but you can use water as well.
I served it over rice which I cooked in a vegetable broth after I browned the rice in a pan.
Thanks for dropping by and have a good week!