Lamb Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

I had given up my subscription to Cooking Light about two years ago because all the recipes got really complicated with huge ingredient lists and I just didn't want to bother with them.  But a few months ago I happened to flip through an issue at a friend's house and I really liked the new layout and the paired down recipes; so when I got an e-mail saying that I could get a 2 Year Subscription for just $15...I jumped at it!  I found this recipe in the first issue that I got and had to make it right away!  This was listed as one of the quick cooking options, and guess what?  It was actually quick!  I had everything done in less than 30 minutes!  Now, I did take a liberty with the rice and instead of cooking jasmine rice with saffron I used a pouch of Mahamata Yellow Rice that I already had in my pantry, but other than that I followed it to a T. 

The house smelled delicious while the Kofta were cooking, and when topped with the creamy yogurt sauce, this dish was just plain delicious!  I had invited my friend Whitney over for dinner the night that I made this and she too really enjoyed it, which was evidenced by her clean plate!  This is definitely a dish that I would make again....especially since it seems sort of fancy for a weeknight dish!

Lamb Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light April 2010

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro (I used frozen that I find at Trader Joe's, it rocks!)

2 Tbsp. grated fresh onion
2 Tbsp. 2% Greek-style plain yogurt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. lean ground lamb
Cooking spray

1/2 c. 2% Greek-style plain yogurt
1/4 c. chopped bottled roasted red bell pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. Mahamata Yellow Rice
Green onions, sliced, for garnish, optional

Prepare rice as directed on the package.  (I used the microwave method.) Sprinkle with green onions.

While rice cooks, prepare kofta. Combine cilantro and next 9 ingredients (through lamb); shape into 12 oblong patties.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 10 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

While kofta cooks, prepare sauce. Combine 1/2 cup yogurt and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with kofta and rice.

Middle East Feast for the Queen

So Monday lunchtime rolls around and I happen to find myself in the Tempe area after meeting with a client. Kirsch suggests we go for Thai, but since I had just had it for dinner the previous night, and was anticipating eating the leftovers for dinner that night, I wasn't really in the mood. I suggested middle eastern because I hadn't had a gyro in awhile; she immediately yelled out "Let's go to Haji Baba!" Now I had never heard of this place but she swore to me that they had the best gyro meat in town, so off we went.

Haji Baba is located in a very nondescript strip mall on Apache Blvd, between Rural and McClintock....if you blink you will miss it (same goes if you are heading West on Apache because of the light rail). We pulled in and the parking lot was jammed, which is a good sign when it comes to restaurants. We go inside and the place is packed, we ended up having to wait 10 minutes for a table. While we waited we perused the aisles of the attached middle eastern market. The selection was huge, especially the flavored tobacco selection, which I will just never understand....I don't think strawberry essence can really mask the flavor of tobacco if you know what I mean. We finally got a table and sat down to order. The first thing I noticed about the menu is that it was cheap!! I mean really cheap. I wanted to try out a few different things so I settled on the side order of falafel (3 patties to an order) and the gyro pita sandwich. The food came out after about 10 minutes and smelled delicious. Below is a picture of the falafal, a terrible picture I know, but the gyro picture was far worse (which is why I won't be posting it :) ). The falafel were nice and crisp and covered with tahini sauce, lettuce and tomatoes. They had a good texture, but I am not sure they were the most flavorful falafel I have ever had. I think they could have used a bit more seasoning, but for $1.99, I am not complaining.



Next I moved on to the gyro, it was stuffed to the top, full of thickly sliced gyro meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and lots of delicious cucumber sauce. There was even a pickle spear wedged in at the bottom, which is an oddly delicious compliment to the sandwich. My first impression was that the meat was awesome, I really liked how they sliced it so thick, and it was not greasy at all like you get with other gyros. The cucumber sauce was excellent, and they did not skimp. Whenever I have cucumber sauce I always chuckle to myself, because I love cucumber sauce, but HATE cucumbers.....weird??!?!?! Overall, I really enjoyed the gyro, it was huge, so I ended up taking half of it home, along with one of the falafel patties. My biggest surprise was when I went up to the counter to pay....the grand total of my meal.....$5.71....a smoking deal, considering the amount of food and the quality, plus I was going to be able to make an additional meal out of my leftovers!

Kirsch got the Greek salad, which was huge, and a side of gyro meat which was also a very generous portion. The salad also came with a side of warm pita bread. The thing I was most impressed about on the salad was the amount of feta cheese. Many places seem to skimp on the cheese, which always annoys me because when you ask for more they usually charge you, but here she got 4 huge hunks of feta on her salad. Due to the portion size, she too was going to need a box for leftovers!


Kirsch said she used to go to Haji Baba all the time during college because it was so good and so cheap, I am really kicking myself for not having been until now. Whenever I had a gyro craving in college, we usually ended up at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant on Mill Ave., while the food there was decent, it was not nearly as good as Haji Baba, and it was 3 times the price! So next time I am in the Tempe area and have a hankering for a gyro, or shwarma, or hummus....I am going to head on over to Haji Baba because I will be able to fill up for under 5 bucks!

Haji Baba Middle Eastern Cuisine
1513 E. Apache Blvd.
Tempe, AZ 85281