I like Kafta Bil Laban and all of the flavors of foods associated with cooked yogurt, just like Shish Barak, Kibbeh Bil Laban (Labanieh), Koussa Bil Laban and much more; try this homy comfort kafta Bil Laban aka Kafta with Yogurt for a delightful dinner, it deserves a spot in your regular lunch or dinner rotation.
Levant countries have long been known for their culinary specialties prepared with yogurt; if you’ve never cooked with yogurt before, Kafta Bil Laban/ Kafta Yogurt Casserole is a good start. The dish comes together in relatively quick steps, making it ideal for a busy midweek meal, I think of it when time is short, but still want something hearty and delicious. The best part is that it takes a few minutes to assemble and bake.
Ingredients Needed to make Kafta Bil Laban
- Minced Meat: Meat or lamb can be used, 20 percent fat.
- Onions: Red or yellow works here.
- Parsley: Just a handful to make the kafta.
- 7 spice: To season the kafta.
- Freshly Grated Black Pepper: to season the kafta
- Yogurt: Use plain full-fat yogurt for best results.
- Tahini: Just one tablepoon to balance the flavor notes of the yogurt.
- Pomegranate Molasses: To add an umami flavor to the yogurt.
- Egg: Place as a thickening agent, can be substituted with a spoonful of cornstarch diluted in a bit of water.
- Olive oil: To grease the baking dish before spreading the kafta.
- Pine Nuts: For an agreeable nutty flavor.
- Salt: Obviously, for seasoning.
- Sunflower oil: To toast the pine nuts.
Tips to make the best kafta, kofta or kefta
- Kafta or kofta, pronouncing it depends on where you live and what country of origin you come from, kafta, kofta, kefta, and maybe more. In Lebanon kafta has a simple, yet lip-smacking concept. It is among the simplest things you can make– minced meat mixed with diced parsley and onions that gets spiced and seasoned. Once the basic mix is prepared, the possibilities for what to do with it are endless. Here as some secret tips to achieve best results.
- Use minced meat with 20 percent fat to keep the kafta moist during cooking.
- You need to, seperately, dice the onions and parsley, finely dicing both will yield a better looking and a more flavorful kafta, use a sharp knife for best results. Dice the parsley: take the bunch of parsley by holding it down and chopping it with a sharp knife, shave as fine as possible to strips, making sure to leave the lower tough stems behind. Dice the onions as fine as possible to release more onion flavor.
How to make Kafta Bil Laban?
- Make the kafta/ kofta: To a bowl, add the finely chopped parsley, chopped onions, minced meat, season with seven spice, black pepper and salt. Using your hands mix everything together to get a homogenized kafta ball.
- Spread and bake the kafta: Slightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil, spread the kafta evenly and press into a 1/2 inch thick in an even layer, covering the baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F for about 12 minutes or until no pink meat left and slightly browned.
- Cook the yogurt: While the kafta is in the oven, you have just enough time to whip up and cook the yogurt. In a saucepan combine together the yogurt, tahini, pomegranate molasses, salt and egg; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.
- Bake the kafta and the thickened yogurt: Pour the cooked yogurt evenly over the baked kafta and bake for 15 minutes.
- Toast the pine nuts: Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a skillet and sauté the pine nuts to a golden color.
- Serving: When the sauce starts bubbling, remove from the oven, sprinkle the pine nuts and serve warm with Lebanese bread/ Arabic bread
What to serve with Kafta Bil Laban?
- With Lebanese bread/ Arabic bread: Use the bread to scoop up the kafta and yogurt sauce together. (My favorite way to enjoy Kafta Bil Laban).
- With Lebanese rice and vermicelli: Pairs with a wide variety of Lebanese meals, icluding Kafta Bil Laban.
- With plain white rice: If you want to keep the dish gluten-free white rice is another option.
- Middle Eastern Salad: A “passe-partout“ salad that uses fresh veggies, it goes well with Kafta Bil Laban.
- Lebanese Pickles/ Kabees: Kabees go with a wide variety of foods, and a Lebanese table is incomplete without pickles.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days, covered with cling film.
Looking for more yogurt-based dishes, we got you covered!
- Shish Barak
- Kibbeh Bil Laban (Labanieh)
- Kousa Bil Laban
- Shrimp Fatteh
- Purslane Yogurt Salad
- Laban (Lebanese Homemade Yogurt)
- Spaghetti with Yogurt
If you make Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine kafta Bil Laban, kindly rate the recipe and leave a comment below. This will be helpful for future readers and if you snapped some photos, share them on Facebook, I would love to see your creations.
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Kafta Bil Laban/ Kafta and Yogurt Tray
Description
Levant countries have long been known for their culinary specialties prepared with yogurt; if you’ve never cooked with yogurt before, Kafta Bil Laban/ Kafta Yogurt Casserole is a good start. The dish comes together in relatively quick steps, making it ideal for a busy midweek meal, I think of it when time is short, but still want something hearty and delicious. The best part is that it takes a few minutes to assemble and bake.
Ingredients
For the Kafta:
- 1 kg /2lb 4 oz minced meat lamb or beef can be used 20 percent fat.
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon 7 spice or all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to grease the baking dish before spreading the kafta
For the Yogurt:
- 4 cups / 1 kg plain yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate Molasses
- 1 egg can be substituted with t tablespoon of cornstarch diluted in 1/4 cup water
- Salt to taste
For garnish:
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil to toast the pine nuts
Instructions
- Prepare the raw kafta/ kofta: To a bowl, add the finely chopped parsley, chopped onions, minced meat, season with seven spice, black pepper and salt. Using your hands mix everything together to get a homogenized kafta ball.
- Spread and bake the kafta: Slightly grease a round 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil, spread the kafta evenly and press into a 1/2 inch thick in an even layer, covering the baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F for about 15 minutes or until no pink meat left and slightly browned.
- Cook the yogurt: While the kafta is in the oven, you have just enough time to whip up and cook the yogurt. In a saucepan combine together the yogurt, tahini, pomegranate molasses, salt and egg; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and slightly thickens.
- Bake the kafta and the thickened yogurt: Pour the cooked yogurt evenly over the baked kafta and bake for 15 minutes.
- Toast the pine nuts: Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a skillet and sauté the pine nuts to a golden color.
- Serving: When the sauce starts bubbling, remove from the oven, sprinkle the pine nuts and serve warm with Lebanese bread/ Arabic bread.
Video
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