Lamb koftas with a cardamom + mint sauce

It doesn’t happen often that a sauce is the main attraction. Their primary function is to enhance flavour in the main element on the plate. Sauces are the backup dancers: they add depth and colour and variety. But do not be misled, in this post, the sauce is the star of the show. This cardamon and  mint sauce is fresh, fragrant and straight up delicious. It can be put on pretty much anything: fish, chicken, vegetables, you name it. It’s great for dipping but can also form the base to a lovely curry.

Ingredients:

500 grams of lamb sausage

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon of crushed garlic

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of ground cardamom

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

1 handful of fresh mint

1 handful of fresh coriander

 

2 handfuls of kale, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon of honey

½ cup of raw cashews or walnuts

1½ cups of coconut milk/ cream

Salt

Olive oil

 

How to make it:

Place the onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, mint, fresh coriander, ground coriander, ground cumin, fennel seeds, kale and the nuts into a blender/ food processor and blend until they form a paste. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and blend until smooth.

Next, heat up about a table spoon of olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the paste into the sauce pan and sauté for about 3 minutes. Pour the coconut milk into the sauce pan, stir, and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has thickened sufficiently. If you use coconut cream, the sauce should thicken quicker than if you use coconut milk.

To make the lamb koftas, take the sausage out of its casing and form into slightly flattened, oval meat balls. Put them on skewers. Heat a griddle pan on high, and space the skewers out on the pan. They will need to be cooked for about 4 to 5 minutes on either side. There is no need to grease the pan as the sausage will produce its own. Set the koftas aside.

Stir a tablespoon of honey into the sauce and season with salt to taste.

To serve, place the skewers on a plate and spoon the sauce over the koftas.

Et voila!