Azerbaijani Style Chicken kofta – recipe below – this is my version of a classic Azerbaijan Lula Kebab, a minced kabab that I devoured on a recent trip to Baku, which BTW is fabulous; the food, people and city are all knock out and I can’t recommend it enough. I was inspired by the chicken lula kebab that I had at eskulap restaurant – an old school kitchen with the best food ever –The real version had oval kofta, charred over coal. I have done my version flat, so they cook off quickly and stay juicy on a standard stove. Please give this a go and enjoy a bite of Baku in your home. Cheers x JohnGS
Serves 4
For the kofta
600g chicken breasts
1 onion, roughly chopped
50g butter – this in place of the lamb fat
40g breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic
1 small egg
3 tsp sumac
3 tsp ground black pepper
A small handful of parsley leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
For the sides
300g Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red onion, finely sliced
A large handful of parsley leaves
Lavash or your fav flat breads to serve
2 tsp sumac
Chilli sauce to serve
1. To make the kofta, put the chicken, onion, butter, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, sumac, black pepper, parsley and a big pinch of salt into a blender and blitz until fine. Divide into 14 and shape into little burger patties about ¾ cm thick.
2. Mix the yogurt with the garlic and a pinch of salt in a bowl and set to one side. Then mix the onion with the parsley leaves.
3. Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add half the kofta and cook for 2-3 minutes a side or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the pan add the remaining oil. Repeat with the rest.
4. To serve, pop the bread onto a serving platter and top with the kofta. Add the onion and parsley, and garnish with the sumac. Serve immediately with garlic yogurt and chilli sauce on the side.
These are the best Azabaijani chicken kofa ever. I’m just home from a last minute trip to Azabaijan where I went to eat everything in Baku. I was taken to a lovely local restaurant called Escalap where the family been making kebabs for 30 years. They made me two types of Lula kebabs with minced chicken and one with minced lamb. They were to die for. My version’s a bit of a sorry second because they use 50% lamb fat in the restaurant, which is quite hard to do in London. Instead, I’ve slapped in some butter along with spices, onion, and parsley. The result, a mouthwatering bite of Baku right here.
1 Comment
Yummy