Beef Kofta Mince
Beef mince with cumin, cinnamon, allspice, tomato and chickpeas: all the flavour of kofta with none of the shaping.
makes 19 blocks, about 39p each
- Time
- 45 min10 min prep · 35 min cook
- Makes
- 19 blocks
- Cost per blockPer block
- 39p
- Calories per blockCalories
- 71 kcal
- Spice
- 2 of 5
You’ll need
- 500gbeef mince (10% fat)
- 2 (300g)onions, finely chopped
- 1 tin (240g drained)chickpeas
- 1 × 400g tinchopped tomatoes
- 30gtomato purée
- 4 cloves (20g)garlic
- 12gcumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, paprika
- 1gchilli flakes
- 15gfresh parsley and mint
- 10mlrapeseed oil
- 1 cubebeef stock cube
- 200mlwater, to make up the stock
Allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the ingredients as listed. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Serve it
Warm flatbreads with yoghurt and cucumber · Couscous with pomegranate · Stuffed into pittas with salad
Method
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat and brown the mince for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up. Spoon off any excess fat.
- Step 2: Lower the heat to medium and soften the onions for 8 minutes. Add the garlic, spices and purée for 1 minute.
- Step 3: Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the chickpeas, lightly crushing a few, and simmer for 10 minutes until thick.
- Step 5: Stir in the herbs, season, cool and freeze in 70g blocks.
Hotter: add 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or a spoon of harissa.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per block | 71 | 7.1g | 5.2g | 2.3g | 1.5g | 0.33g |
| Per 3 blocks | 213 | 21.3g | 15.6g | 6.9g | 4.5g | 0.99g |
Cook’s notes
- Lamb mince makes it more traditional.
- Add the herbs fresh at serving for the brightest flavour.
- A spoon of tahini yoghurt on top is lovely.
Serve it
Warm flatbreads with yoghurt and cucumber · Couscous with pomegranate · Stuffed into pittas with salad.
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
- Reheat
- Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
- A portion
- 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 213 kcal and 21.3g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.
Beef Kofta Mince questions
What can I use instead of allspice?
A little extra cinnamon with a pinch of ground cloves or nutmeg gives a similar warm note.
Can I swap the chickpeas?
Butter beans or tinned green lentils work in the same drained weight.
Why crush some of the chickpeas?
Crushed chickpeas thicken the sauce so the mince holds together, which makes it easier to spoon into a pitta or onto a flatbread.
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates. Gluten-free assumes gluten-free stock cubes.