Kefta: the recipe in meatballs, skewers and tajine
Kefta is an elongated patty of spiced ground meat, a staple of Moroccan, Algerian, and Middle Eastern cuisines, which can be served as grilled skewers, meatballs in tomato sauce, or in a tajine with eggs. Its success depends on three rules: meat with 20% fat, ground twice through a fine grid, plenty of fresh herbs, with equal parts parsley and coriander, and 30 minutes of chilling before cooking so that the patties hold together.
Allow 600 grams of meat for four people. Here is the basic recipe, the exact spice measurements, and the three cooking methods that make all the difference, from the plancha to the tajine.
The kefta recipe: meat, herbs, and double grinding
Kefta relies on four steps: choosing the meat, double grinding, seasoning, and chilling.
Traditional kefta is made with beef, lamb, or an equal mixture of both, the most flavorful version. The fat content is the secret to the texture: aim for 20% fat, choosing neck or breast for lamb, and chuck for beef. Below 15%, the patty will dry out on the grill in a few minutes.
The step that distinguishes kefta from a simple meatball is double grinding: a first pass through a medium grid, then a second through a fine 4 to 5 millimeter grid, with the onion and herbs. The meat becomes almost a paste, homogeneous and bound without egg or breadcrumbs, something no store-bought tray can achieve. This is exactly the work of a meat grinder with multiple grids, with the meat thoroughly chilled so that the fat does not melt during the process.
For 600 grams of meat, prepare:
- one very finely chopped onion, squeezed in the hand to remove its juice
- half a bunch of flat-leaf parsley and half a bunch of coriander
- two teaspoons of ground cumin and two of mild paprika
- half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of mild chili
- salt at 10 grams per kilo, and pepper
Knead by hand for two minutes, then let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator: the cold firms up the fat and the patties will not fall apart during cooking.
Skewer, patty, or tajine: the three ways to cook kefta
The same kefta mixture can be prepared in several ways. The table compares each version by shaping, cooking method, and the occasion for which it is suitable, from grilled skewers to tajine.
| Version | Shaping | Cooking | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled skewers | Elongated sausages tightly wrapped around the skewer | 8 to 10 min on the barbecue or plancha | For summer barbecues |
| Meatballs in tomato sauce | 40 g balls rolled by hand | Browned for 5 min then 20 min in the sauce | The family meal with bread or semolina |
| Kefta tajine with eggs | 30 g balls poached in the sauce | 25 min covered, eggs cracked in the last 5 | The great Moroccan Friday classic |
| Pan-fried kefta | Flattened 1.5 cm patties | 4 min per side over high heat | For a weeknight, without special equipment |
| In the oven on a tray | Sausages placed on baking paper | 15 min at 210 °C | For large quantities without supervision |
For skewers, wrap the meat around flat and wide skewers, never round ones: the meat will spin on a round skewer and cook on only one side. Wet your hands with cold water between each shaping, the meat will not stick. On the grill, turn only once, when the first side releases by itself.
This skewer meat is the direct cousin of the homemade kebab with ground meat, based on the same fatty and spiced foundation.
Kefta tajine with eggs, the absolute classic
It is the most sought-after and easiest version to get right:
- Prepare a sauce with a can of crushed tomatoes, an onion, two cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of cumin and paprika, and let reduce for 15 minutes.
- Place the raw 30-gram balls directly into the simmering sauce, cover and count 20 minutes over low heat without stirring, just shaking the dish.
- Crack three or four eggs between the balls and cover for 5 minutes: the whites should set, the yolk remain runny.
The dish is eaten directly from its container, with bread to soak up the sauce. Half a bunch of chopped coriander at the time of serving, and nothing else: kefta tajine does not tolerate being overloaded. This homemade spice logic applies to the entire family of Middle Eastern meats, starting with our homemade merguez made with a meat grinder, which use the same base of fatty beef and spices.
The mistakes that ruin a kefta
A kefta that cracks or falls apart almost always comes from a preparation mistake. Here are the most common ones, from an onion cut too large to cooking for too long, with how to avoid them.
- An onion cut too large: it releases its water during cooking and causes the patty to crack. It must be chopped as finely as the meat, and squeezed before being incorporated.
- Coarsely crushed garlic: the same problem, but worse. A pinch of garlic purée obtained with a garlic press blends into the meat without issues.
- Skipping the chilling: meat shaped and cooked immediately falls apart on the grill. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator, or fifteen in the freezer, makes all the difference.
- Overcooking: kefta should be served barely pink in the center for lamb, just cooked for beef. Beyond that, the fat is gone and the patty becomes a dry ball.
To obtain this fine garlic purée in a few seconds, the suitable models are gathered in our garlic press and garlic grinder collection.
Can you prepare keftas in advance?
Yes, it is even recommended: the spiced meat benefits from resting for a few hours in the refrigerator, up to 24 hours maximum for raw ground meat. Once shaped, keftas can be frozen flat on a tray for two months before being bagged. They can then be cooked without thawing, adding 5 minutes.
Kefta, kofta, köfte: what is the difference?
It is the same family of spiced meat patties, found from Morocco to India, via Turkey. Maghreb kefta highlights cumin and coriander, Turkish köfte often adds sumac, while Indian kofta bathes in a creamy sauce. The basic technique remains identical.
Fine meat, fresh herbs, and thirty minutes of patience
Kefta comes down to its meat: fatty meat ground twice with onion and herbs, spices dominated by cumin and paprika, a short kneading, and chilling. Then, the same base becomes summer skewers, meatballs in tomato sauce, or Friday kefta tajine with eggs.
It is the dish that alone justifies grinding your own meat, because the bound texture of double grinding does not exist in any store-bought tray. For a multi-grid grinder that performs this double pass, see our collection of manual meat grinders.
All our meat and herb grinders are on Hachoir Cuisine.