Kufta bil Bundoora (Kebabs in Tomato Sauce)
- hmohammad321
- Feb 20, 2021
- 5 min read
I love Arab cuisine because of its range: all of it is delicious, but you have options that run the gamut from simple ingredients to really unique (and, perhaps, hard to find, depending on where you live). For this recipe, you only need a few, common ingredients, which is perfect if you're trying to make a quick job of your grocery shopping during this pandemic. ALSO, there's no smell more delicious than freshly chopped parsley and onions--trust me. Enjoy!
Standard Ingredients
Makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds ground beef (I used a mix of 85/15 & 90/10).
1/2 cup of kufta spice mix.* I used store bought, Ziyad brand.
2 Tablespoons of black pepper.
2 Tablespoons of salt, divided.
2 Tablespoons of plain bread crumbs.
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped.
3/4 cup finely minced Vidalia/yellow onion (~ 1/2 a large onion or 1 medium onion).
3 roma tomatoes, sliced into circles.
3 large baking potatoes, diced into medium cubes.
1 6oz can of tomato paste.
1 Tablespoon of chicken stock concentrate or 2 chicken stock bullion cubes.
Olive oil for drizzling.
For serving:
Prepared Rice:
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.
3 cups of soaked short-grain rice.
2 teaspoons of salt.
Optional: 1/2 cup vermicelli noodles.
OR
Pita bread.
*I added a 1/2 cup of kufta spices to my recipe and found it to be a bit strong, even for kufta. It's very tasty, and the flavor will mellow out when it cools. If you're worried about it being too spiced, add 1/3 cup of kufta spices instead. Ultimately, add spices to your taste.
Possible Substitutions
Beef: This recipe is usually made with lamb or a beef & lamb mixture. You can use lamb and/or any type of ground beef. Just note: if it's too lean, you'll need a bit more vegetable oil to add fat to it.
Kufta spices: use Arab Seven Spice and add an extra two teaspoons of black pepper.
Vegetable oil: peanut oil. Avoid using an oil that has a strong flavor, including olive oil.
Bread crumbs: any plain bread crumb variety, including panko.
Parsley: I used curly parsley, and you can use flat-leaf/Italian instead.
Vidalia/Yellow Onion: any onion variety except green onions.
Roma Tomatoes: Any tomato variety that's sliceable.
Potatoes: any potato variety, though I recommend avoid sweet potatoes or yams because the flavor profiles don't necessarily match this dish.
Chicken Stock Concentrate: you can use beef or vegetable stock concentrate or cubes, or simply omit this if you don't have it.
Directions
Finely mince the onion and finely chop the parsley--the smaller, the better for both of these ingredients. You can also do this in a food processor if you have one. Add to a bowl.
To the onion & parsley, add the 1/3 cup of kufta spices, 2 Tablespoons of black pepper, 1 Tablespoon of salt, 2 Tablespoons of bread crumbs, & 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Get a baking dish out to place the kufta in when ready. It should be a 9x13 dish, at least.
Add the 2 pounds of ground beef to the bowl of onion, parsley, spices, etc, and MIX WELL. Seriously, dig in with your hands and mix well to evenly distribute all the ingredients. If you're noticing it feels dry, maybe because you're using lean ground meat, add more oil--up to 2 additional Tablespoons--one Tablespoon at a time, until it comes together well.
Form the kufta with your hand. You want them to be oval-ish in shape and 3-4 inches long. You'll see your finger indentations create a pattern of sorts on the kufta, which is a tell-tale sign of a hand-formed kufta. The pros can do it with one hand (not me--yet!).
As you form the kufta, place them in the baking dish. Once the dish is filled, bake the kufta in the pre-heated oven until they are browned, approximately 30 minutes.
While the kufta bake, dice your potatoes into medium cubes and place them into a bowl with cold water and a little salt. This will help remove some of the starchiness.
Slice your tomatoes into medium thickness slices. Set aside.
Once the kufta is browned, remove the dish from the oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
With the kufta, you'll notice liquid and solids from the meat at the bottom of the dish. We want to remove the liquid & solids. For this step, you can either use an entirely new, clean dish, or clean the one you have. If using a clean baking dish, just move the kufta to the new dish. If you want to clean the one you are using, carefully move your kufta to plate and wash your baking dish. Make sure to thoroughly dry the baking dish before returning the kufta to it.
Drain the potatoes that have been soaking and pat them dry. They don't have to be perfectly dry, just pat them enough to remove any obvious excess water. Pour the potatoes evenly over the kufta.
Top the potatoes with the sliced roma tomatoes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle extra black pepper over the top. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for at least an hour, or until the potatoes are tender.
Prepare your tomato sauce. Empty your tomato paste can into a sauce pan with 1 Tablespoon of chicken stock concentrate. Boil 3 cups of water in a separate pot and then slowly add the boiling water to the tomato paste, whisking to help the paste and concentrate dissolve. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the sauce and bring to a boil.
Once the tomato sauce is boiling, reduce to a very low simmer and keep it simmering until ready to use, stirring occasionally.
After the potatoes have reached a tender state, remove the foil and turn on your broiler. Broil the dish until the tomatoes and potatoes start browning. I let mine go a while, especially with the dish on the middle rack of the oven---about 17 minutes or so, checking in every 5 minutes. Dark brown spots will only add to the flavor, so don't worry about that.
With the dish sufficiently browned, you now want to remove the dish from the oven to add the tomato sauce to it. Be careful here: it may bubble or splash as you pour the sauce all over the dish.
Carefully return the dish to the oven and allow it to broil until the sauce is boiling, about 5 minutes.
Turn off the oven and remove the dish. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving over rice (directions below) or with pita bread. If you have leftover parsley, sprinkle the dish with it.
Sahtein!
Stove Top Rice Directions:
Soak your rice for at least an hour in cool water.
Add 2 Tablespoons of oil to a pot over medium heat.
Drain & rinse the soaked rice in cold water. I like to rinse it at least two times. Fully drain the rice.
Tip: I use a sieve to rinse and drain the rice after it has been soaked.
Once the oil is heated, if you're using the 1/2 cup of vermicelli noodles, add them to the oil and stir constantly just until they start to brown. Once browned, quickly add the rinsed, drained rice and cook it for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. If you're not using vermicelli noodles, simply add the rice and continue to follow the instructions.
After the 2-3 minutes, add boiled water to the pot, just enough to cover the rice. Boiled water helps it cook faster, but you can also just use really hot tap water.
Let the water come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the rice pot. After 8-10 minutes, I check on the rice every few minutes. How I check for doneness is by putting my ear near the pot and I listen for bubbling. If it's still bubbling, there's still water to boil off. If the bubbling is slow or stopped, it's ready.
Once the rice is done, take it off the heat and let it sit for five minutes before fluffing.
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