Kofta Kebabs - Grilled Meatball on a Stick - Food Wishes 

At Jose Andres’ Zaytinya. He has one of the cook’s grandmother come in 1-2 times a week to make the kofta for the restaurant. She has her own corner and everyone is instructed to give her whatever she needs and to stay out of her way. She just sits there for a couple of hours and makes hundreds

if you think about it, it's kind of weird that I love a chef who I've never, nor will meet, and his videos make me happy and not only because of recipes for super tasty food! thank you Chef John

Chef John we loove your recipes ,but even more the way you present them.

Normally skewers are removed before serving and you place the meat on top of the rice or bread it's served with so the meat juices can soak into the absorbent grains.

We have a kebab shop near us called Abrakebabra.

I use to buy Kofta at a Mediterranean market. I never made the missiles, always made burgers with chopped veggies and tzatziki. Glad to find a good recipe to make at home. Thank you Chef John. You are the mosta of the kofta.

Chef John, please show us how to make that amazing middle eastern hot sauce that goes with these.

"not so much a brag; it's more like a cry for help" 🤣 Chef John kills me lol

Love your positivity as well as the joy of finding your videos about any new recipe I'd like to try. Thank you Chef John! 😎

Yesssss! I never ever go wrong with your recipes, chef!

this is very close to syrian kebabs, I like the spin of adding the toasted bread to the meat, definitely gonna try that one.

Kofta/luleh are good but Koobideh is my favorite due to saffron and the sense of accomplishment when it doesn't fall off the skewer.

I had the same exact grill. It worked well for a couple years as a grill, and served as a place to set and light the charcoal chimney for a couple more years after I got a good grill.

You are just “The Best” Thank you Chef John!!

I love kofta. I like to simmer the browned kofta in a crushed tomato, cilantro,mint, onion, coriander, garlic and Aleppo pepper sauce and serve with rice and a Mediterranean bread salad using toasted pita.

I tried your recipe last weekend and my family & kids loved it. Made extras for next day and was still very tasty. Thank you for posting the tutorial.

These look amazing Chef John! I actually just found my bag of wood skewers so I’m going to make these this weekend!

Back in the day (1950's) the Piggly Wiggly carried a version of this w/o beef just lamb or veal, which were inexpensive then. They were always labled as mock chicken legs. I've missed them. Thanks for the recipe.

looove kofta. Grilled on a skewer or braised in the oven it’s a very comforting dish

You are the Slick Rick of your Meatball on a Stick.

I feel happy when I get a notification that you have uploaded a new video 🥰😘😍. Thank you very much for uploading the video. Your videos fill me with so much positive energy 🍓♥️🥰😍🥰

What a lovely presentation and an amazing recipe! Thank you so much!

This looks amazing gonna try this one too.

Slippery Pete? "The holes!" Chef John gets an award for obscure Seinfeld character reference here. Kudos.

Thanks for sharing chef John 🧑‍🍳👍

This will be one of my many recipes, of yours, to make a lot😋🥰!

It charms me John, that you have a janky old $15 grill. A great cook doesn’t need to rely on “state of the art” equipment. I’m a seamstress and my mentor told me once, “a good seamstress doesn’t need a serger”. Amen. Keep on cookin!

They look beautiful, chef! I love a good ol' gyro on occasion, this just makes me 😊 happy to try new things.

I love you, Chef John.

This is close to what I am used to eat, great video!

These look easy and awesome. Nice.

Thank you so much for your great recipes.

Thanks for this! Kofta are my childhood, Chef John! 💕

This video spoke to my soul!! Wow great recipe

looking good Chef John!

You never cease to amaze me with the simplicity of recipes. Even a Novice could understand .

I was all set to make burgers tonight, but I’m going to pivot and make these instead. Although I would expect Slippery Pete would make these in his food processor plugged into the nearest holes he can find.

Looks really good.

I love köfte kebab i love eating this awesome cooking chef!

This looks great! Like to add fresh mint as well.

Excellent dish chef

Very good!

Looks really good! I like to use cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and sumac.

My mother used to make kufte kabob. I inherited her flat skewers. Hope to try this next weekend.

I've made a similar recipe, but used a completely different spice mixture. I seasoned mine with cumin, coriander, ginger, Aleppo, sumac, and fenugreek. And it was freaking delicious. I'm sure this recipe is great too.

Looks delicious!

Ooooh, one of my favourite dishes.

I typed all of this using Chef John’s voice inflection: Sub the water for onion juice/water Add 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon Add 1 small, seeded, diced tomato While on the grill, brush with onion juice/water

BRAVO CHEF!!! 👏 👏 👏

Thank you for the recipe, will be making them for tomorrow for a Christmas bbq

Chef John and the Wishers, Always enjoy a good Poke-a Polka. I've been cooking for 58 years and I enjoy learning new tricks. Great channel, I learn a lot every recipe (here the bread onion herb addition was wonderful and the spice blend) All the best JIM Oaxaca

Refika's Kitchen channel has some great info and background on kefta/kofta (and Turkish cuisine in general) for those interested in diving deeper.

Chef John, I've posted this before but your food is sensational. Well actually the food I cook from your direction is sensational.

Looks delicious 😋

Lavash Bread! 👍

I bought kofta meatballs from loblaws in Canada. I cooked 4 and uses tzaziki as a sauce on side. I went to heaven. My home smelled amazing fir rest of the day. I'd Love to try ur creation it looks heavenly.

Another awesome recipe Chief John you are simply amazing with your food videos! I am going to try this with ground turkey, can't wait!

I think I’m going to make the whipped feta from the grilled chicken and whipped feta recipe. For the topping. Since he did not include the lemon tahini dressing recipe. 😋

I dunno about Mediterranean one but irc a turkish version of kofte would have the onion grated and squeezed (like any other middle eastern one), and with addition of a little baking soda, in order to even make the meat stiffer, and bouncier. Other than that, its basically a free form meat dish with no right or wrong. This video remind me of bobs kabobs episode

When I mix stuff like this I use the Kitchen Aid w/the paddle. Works great.

Chef John!!! I grew up cooking these with my dad. He was from Iran and had an Iranian restaurant. All I wanna say is have you considered juicing an onion and adding that juice to the meat instead of adding just plain water? and at the end, please always sprinkle sumac on top!

3:56 “damp hands make smooth balls”. I’m using that

4:50 funny you should say that since one of our most loved and signature meat dishes here in Romania, but also in Turkey is basically a "meat log" which is just a long meatball or a skinless sausage (you pick), we call them 'mici' (i have no idea why) which translates to 'small ones'

Kofta is the best Kebab, delicious.

What about the sumac? You forgot the sumac!

I learned to make this from my Syrian neighbors. We couldn't talk to each other, but good food doesn't need an interpretation. She used pine nuts, touch of cinnamon, garlic and the lemon zest..heaven! Shes the one that taught me to use 2 skewers instead of one so as the fat melts ( the fat that always there) when you turn the meat on the grill, it won't "spin"..

Lebanese 7 spice is my preferred kofta seasoning 👍

Got to try this on my YAK charcoal grill :)

I just made this, well the meat mix, I haven't cooked them over the charcoal grill yet, but I test-fried a small piece and it's very very good. I wanted to leave your recipe a good review on allrecipes but it kept having a login error so I wasn't able to, but I'd have given it 5 stars! Now to make tzatziki, garlic mayonnaise, pita, and Greek salad to go with it...

I was going to say “didn’t you already do Bob’s Kebabs?” but then I started watching and saw this is different… enough to warrant its own video

Every time I hear him say, "Damp hands make smooth balls" I crack up!

you are 100% correct about ingredients loosing their flavor when being blender choped. I learn it the hard way by not " feeling " the peppermint and the parsley on meatballs

I’m pregnant and I need this RIGHT NOW. I’m literally crying. 🤣

I've used left over rice as a filler for a burger/patty I ate open faced. Rather than bread which I didn't have and it was pretty good. Like you just said if I hadn't known I had put it in there was no real textural difference to the meatiness.

you should do kibbe it's incredible and i have no clue how it's done. also tabouleh is pronounced tabouli

I have made kofta kebab on my channel. Your recipe is different and looks delicious. Thanks for sharing 👍

Grill = “cry for help” 😂😂😂 And now we need the recipe for the sauce pretty please 😊

"So we got that going for us. Which is nice"- nice slick Caddyshack quote from Carl the grounds keeper (Bill Murray)

This was very Koftaesque.

One of my favorites to cook chef! I actually have the long flat skewers, and I take the grill top off. The skewers are long enough to rest on each end of the grill body. I nust keep rotating them over the fire. Fun when you have guests over!

toasting the bread for the kebab mix I think it needs some kind of a award

Chef you forgot the Cumin and the Chilli flakes 😆!!! Try a Tzatsiki and Pilav rice with this...Amazing. 👌😘

Instead of wood skewers, try using stainless steel heli-arc welding rod, which is available at your local welding supply store. They come in 3ft lengths, and should be bent over to where you have a double prong which looks like a big 18 inch long paper clip with one end cut off.

If you want them to be really delicious make these with out the stick and bake them in a tahini sauce and serve over fried potatoes its called kofka in tahini sauce its so delicious.

Another very traditional addition to the mince is pine nuts. Also you can use these faux cinnamon sticks instead of skewers, it'll taste absolutely amazing

We get these Kababs at a place in Atlanta called Rumi’s Kitchen. Great food.

4:57 - 4:52 : You could also (inappropriately but most affectionately) call them turd burgers, for the obvious reason. Back in the 80s, they were dubbed as such by one of my grad school chums, and the name has stuck with us ever since. We seasoned them with cumin and cilantro (my first introduction to both), might have used cinnamon, too, though I dont remember, as well as garlic, onion, and probably some parsley and cayenne as well. Served with raita sauce (also my first introduction to this at the time). Yummy memories! I still try to make these at least once every grilling season. They are fabulous!

"Round things don't have sides, they just have side". That blew my mind.

Going to give this a try. I have found wooden chopsticks work better than bamboo skewers. They are thicker and meet is less likely to spin.

Someday please teach us how to burn the charcoals

I'd recommend soaking the bamboo skewers in water for a few minutes before shaping the kebabs. This way it won't burn on the grill.

I just switched the sound off and could watch a very inspiring food video!

want a really nice grill but very cheap grill as well, "old smokey grills" look that up. i just got an 18 inch one, and i got to say i love the damn thing. its cheaply made and ruff around the edges but holy hell does it cook well

nice! love it, no mayo win lol

I actually went out and got the huge flat meat swords to make this and I can never go back to bamboo skewers.

Fastest seasoning for the meat is salt, pepper, and pumpkin pie seasoning. Works great!

Thanks, chef! You just decided what we're having for dinner tomorrow! Got a tahini recipe? Edit:. NM, Found the recipe. Thanks, John! 😎

Probably stating something that a lot of people know, but you can make tahini sauce with yogurt instead of water it is really good, extra creamy and might be "the best of both worlds" if you are trying to decide between tahini and yogurt.

Eric Cartman:🎵Roly-poly meat log, lady...makes a little boy scream and shout! 🎵(sweet 🤪)

Yogurt sauces go with chicken. Tahini goes with beef and lamb so you're instincts were spot on, Chef!