Lamb Koftas with Spiced Quinoa

This Lamb Koftas with Spiced Quinoa dish from Lady Emma Weymouth is a super spring time dish. It packs a kick as it's made with chilli, coriander, cumin, paprika, ginger and garlic! It's great for serving up for a big family lunch.

Ingredients

For the koftas:

800g lamb mince
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
5cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

For the spiced quinoa:

480g quinoa
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lemons
200g pomegranate seeds
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
2 red chillies, seeded and finely sliced
3 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
3 tbsp chives, roughly chopped
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

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Start with the koftas. Tip the lamb mince into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients, salt and black pepper and mix really well – get your hands in and squish everything together so it’s evenly mixed.

Divide the mixture in half in the bowl, then into 4 – take one quarter out of the bowl and divide it in half – this way you have 8 evenly sized koftas. Shape each piece into a sausage. Repeat with the remaining mixture on 7 more.

If you have time, place in the fridge for 1 hour to set, if not, set aside while you prepare the quinoa.

Place the quinoa into a saucepan with 1.4 litres cold water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until tender, and the water has all been absorbed.

While the quinoa cooks, heat the grill to medium hot.

Place the koftas onto a grill tray and grill for 5 minutes on each side until lightly charred and cooked through.

Tip into a large bowl, add the pomegranate molasses, juice of one lemon and the oil and stir really well until the grains are all coated.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Serve the quinoa piled onto a plate, with the kofta across the top, and cut the remaining lemon into wedges to go alongside.