After last month’s post about the Harappan jewelry found in a Bronze-age tomb in Oman, I wanted to share a delicious, modern Omani recipe from my collection with you. With summer’s abundance of zucchini and other squash, this is a great recipe for the grill, that will become one of your new favorites.
Don’t be wary of the amount of herbs and spices in the meat. The cinnamon in the kofta is tamed by cooking, and the sauce is flavorful and delicious – even if I do say so myself. The dish is a “keeper” in our home, I hope it will be in yours too.
Omani Kofta with Zucchini Sauce
Ingredients
Kofta
1-pound minced beef
1 small bunch parsley, minced
1 small-medium red onion, minced
1-2 tlbs cinnamon
Salt/pepper to taste
Zucchini Sauce
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
8 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tlbs of crushed red chili
2-3 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 large can (or 2 small cans) of chopped tomatoes
4 bay leaves
2-3 medium zucchinis
1 small bunch parsley, minced
1 small bunch mint, minced
Salt/pepper to taste
Method
Preheat broiler. Mix all the ingredients of the kofta. Create finger-shapes or balls. Lightly grease or spray a broiler pan. Cook kofta 2-3 inches from flame. Cooking time will vary on the size of the kofta but try cooking for 2-3 minutes per side. (It is also possible to grill the kofta instead).
For the zucchini sauce, add some olive oil to a saucepan and sauté the garlic and the red chili for 3 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and after a minute add all the chopped tomatoes with the bay leaves. Wait until the sauce starts to boil then cover the saucepot and put it on the lowest flame for 10 minutes.
Cut the zucchini to small pieces and sauté it in a bit more olive oil until starts to soften. Then, add them to the tomato sauce. Add the parsley and mint to the sauce and stir in well. Add some salt and pepper as desired.
Cook for another few minutes to allow the flavor of the herbs to infuse into the pan. Then, place the kofta on the serving plate and spoon some sauce on them and serve the remainder on the side.
Recipe and words by Laura M Kelley; Photo of Omani Kofta with Zucchini Sauce by Sasha Martin