Will Lamb Meatballs Taste Teh Same as Beef

Beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs served with a Minted Yoghurt Sauce. Stuff 'em into pitas for a street food experience, pass them around at a party or pile them over pilaf!

These juicy lamb meatballs are loaded with Middle Eastern flavours. Caramelised on the outside, juicy and flavour loaded on the inside!

Juicy Lamb Meatballs with Moroccan flavours!

Monday Meatball Mania is here! On the last Monday of every month, Jo from Jo Cooks and I each share a meatball recipe, because we both believe that ball shaped food rocks (fabulously high ratio of golden brown surface to juicy meat inside) and there should be more of it in this world.

This month I'm sharing Moroccan Lamb Meatballs, inspired by a visit to the Lakemba Night Markets during Ramadan (26 May – 24 June 2017).

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims which involves intensive prayer and fasting from dawn to dusk. During this period, the main drag of Lakemba transforms at night with food stalls lining the pavements and is a popular place to enjoyiftar, a communal feast to break the fast.

Fragrant Middle Eastern spices

If you love Middle Eastern food, you'll be in street food heaven. A vibrant, lively mood, the smell of charcoal, the sizzle of BBQ's, and the most amazing smell of spices that Middle Eastern food is so well known for wafts through the street. Totally worth driving 50 km / 30 miles for thisaaaalll the way from the Northern Beaches!

One of the (ahem – many!) things I tried were spiced lamb meatballs stuffed into pita pockets which I enjoyed so much I wanted to recreate it to share here.

These lamb meatballs are made using my Middle Eastern Lamb Koftas recipe as a base.Lamb is a protein made for heady Middle Eastern spice flavourings! It pairs so well, and the smell when they're cooking are outrageous!

These Moroccan Lamb Meatballs would also be terrific made with beef, chicken or turkey. Probably with pork too.

But lamb is Middle Eastern through and through. So I do urge you to try this with lamb if you can!

Bake 'em or pan fry 'em. It will worth great either way because lamb, like beef, browns nicely in the oven. For chicken or turkey, spray liberally with oil if you want to bake them, otherwise you won't get that gorgeous caramelisation. 🙂 – Nagi xx

Try these on the side

If you opt out of pita bread pockets, consider these sides. Because the meatballs are heavily spiced, opt for sides with fresh flavours:

Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad
Middle Eastern chopped salad (skip the chickpeas if you want)
Israeli Couscous Salad
Pico de Gallo (Mexican, but the flavours pair well with Middle Eastern)
Chargrilled Vegetables
Lemon Pilaf (fab pairing!)
Curried Basmati Rice Pilaf
Chickpea Rice Pilaf
Fattoush
Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt Sauce and Pine Nuts

PS You all know those aren't my hands in the photo below. I had someone helping me on the day I shot these. She has gorgeous long, slim hands and I couldn't resist borrowing them. 😂

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
Watch how to make it

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs recipe video!

Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Servings 4

Recipe video above. The fragrance when these meatballs are cooking is outrageous! Based on these Lamb Koftas. The Minted Yoghurt is fabulous - pairs so well with the meatballs! See notes for suggestions for sides - pictured in post stuffed in pita pockets.

Meatballs:

▢ 1 lb / 500 g lamb mince (ground lamb) (Note 1)
▢ 1 small onion, grated (~1/2 cup, including juices)
▢ 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I use panko
▢ 1 egg
▢ 2 cloves garlic, crushed
▢ 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped
▢ 1 tsp EACH cumin, coriander, paprika (any, I like smoked)
▢ 1/2 tsp EACH cinnamon, cayenne pepper (add more for spicy)
▢ 1/2 tsp salt
▢ Black pepper
▢ 1 tbsp olive oil

Minted Yoghurt Sauce:

▢ 1 cup plain yoghurt (I use Greek)
▢ 1 clove garlic, crushed
▢ 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried mint)
▢ Squeeze of lemon juice
▢ Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix Minted Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for 20 + minutes.
Place Meatball ingredients EXCEPT OIL in a bowl. Mix well.
Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon, then roll into balls. Repeat with remaining mixture - should have 22 - 24 meatballs.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and cook, turning to brown all over, for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to plate, then cook the remaining meatballs.
OVEN OPTION instead of stove: Preheat at 200C/390F. Spray with oil then bake for 20 minutes until browned. Sometimes I put them on a rack to keep them round (put the rack on a tray).
Cut pita pockets in half, warm for 10 seconds in the microwave, then pry it open. Stuff with Salad, then meatballs. Finish with Yoghurt Sauce and more fresh mint and coriander if desired.

1. This recipe is also terrific with beef, and very good with chicken and turkey. No recipe adjustments. If baking the chicken or turkey meatballs, spray VERY well with oil!

2. Suggested sides if you opt out of the pita pockets: The Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad is great as a side salad as well, this Middle Eastern chopped salad (skip the chickpeas), Israeli Couscous Salad, Pico de Gallo (I know it's Mexican but the flavours are terrific paired with Middle Eastern), just the rice in this baked Chicken & Rice recipe, Chargrilled Vegetables, Lemon Pilaf (fab pairing!), Curried Basmati Rice Pilaf, this Chickpea Rice Pilaf, Fattoush. Because the meatballs are heavily spiced, opt for sides with fresh flavours.

3. Nutrition for meatballs and yoghurt sauce, assuming all the sauce is consumed which it may not be. Also assumes no fat is drained off but I usually discard about 1 tbsp at the end of cooking so the calories will be lower than stated.

Serving: 241 g Calories: 524 cal (26%)

Keywords: Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

I Get A Round: More Meatball Recipes

Thai Meatballs – Pork meatballs with lemongrass, garlic and a zesty hint of kaffir lime
Mexican Meatballs – Beef and pork meatballs supercharged with fiesty Mexican spices
Vietnamese Meatballs (Bun Cha!) – Char-grilled pork meatballs with dipping sauce from the streets of Hanoi
Italian Meatballs – An Italian-American classic, these meatballs are pillowy soft
Swedish Meatballs – With a savoury and creamy sauce, these are one of the world's most iconic meatballs!
Browse all Meatball recipes

Life of Dozer

All that mocking of the photo of him in his hoodie. I ask you – does helook unhappy? Humph! He looks perfectly comfortable to me! 😂 #MockingDozerIsFun

Save Save

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you're short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

hayalmosery.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/moroccan-lamb-meatballs/

Will Lamb Meatballs Taste Teh Same as Beef

Juicy Lamb Meatballs with Moroccan flavours!