Moroccan Ground Meat Skewers Recipe

Published: 7 January 2022

Today, I will be sharing my family’s recipe for oven-grilled kefta katban, literally “ground meat skewers” in Arabic.

At home, we love serving them with some fresh Moroccan bread, olives (swimming in olive oil, of course!) and, last but certainly not least, freshly brewed Moroccan mint tea. It’s a whole mood!

If you are planning a picnic, barbecue or just looking to get more protein into your diet, this classic Moroccan dish is a must try!

Moroccan Kefta Skewers

Meriem Chiadmi

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Cuisine Moroccan

Servings 12 skewers

Equipment

• 12 wooden or metal skewers

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups ground beef or lamb (roughly 760g)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp dried onion/onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup green onion (minced)
• 2 Tbsp butter (cut into small pieces)
• Generous pinch of garlic powder
• (optional) Harissa/Chili paste/Hot sauce

Instructions

 

• If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning in the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 225°C on grill. Place a wire rack on top of a baking tray and leave aside. This is where you will be suspending the skewers.
• In a big bowl or plate, add the ground meat, parsley, cilantro, dried onion, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt, green onion and olive oil. Mix well using your hands to evenly distribute all the ingredients in the meat.
• In a small plate, sprinkle the garlic powder on top of the butter and add it to the meat. Mix well.
• (optional) Add the harissa and mix well.
• Remove the skewers from the water. Take a small amount of the meat mixture and skewer it, squeezing it to mold it to the skewer. It is best to try and make the skewers as similar in size as possible to allow them to cook evenly.
• Place the skewers on top of the wire rack and grill them for roughly 7 minutes. Flip the skewers, quickly brush with the drippings and let them grill for another 7-8 minutes. They should be golden brown but not too dry.
• Brush the skewers one more time with the drippings for a nice glaze and extra flavour.

Video

Notes

Best served with Moroccan mint tea, olives and fresh bread.