Open the oven door and browned meatballs peek out from bubbling white sauce, with the toasty smell of sesame and the fresh tang of yogurt and lemon. Set the whole baking dish in the middle of the table, tear off pieces of flatbread, and scoop up meatballs along with the sauce. Kofta bil tahini is a Jordanian home oven dish of meatballs baked in tahini sauce. The yogurt and lemon keep the sesame from getting heavy, so the sauce stays light and lets the savor of the meat come through.
About Kofta bil Tahini
Kofta: Ground Meat with Onion and Spices
In Jordan, "kofta" (kefta) means ground meat seasoned with onion and spices. The same mixture can be wrapped on skewers and grilled over charcoal, or shaped into balls and baked in the oven, so the word names a way of preparing meat more than a single dish.
In the capital, Amman, home cooks shape kofta into long meatballs and bake them with potatoes, onions, and a tahini and yogurt sauce sharpened with lemon. It is loved by adults and children alike, and it comes to the family table in its baking dish.
Dishes using the same ground-meat mixture are found widely across Middle Eastern countries. Turkish "köfte" is a relative with a similar-sounding name.
The Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
The white sauce covering the meatballs is the star of the dish. Tahini (white sesame paste) is combined with yogurt, lemon juice and water, and sautéed onion goes in too. The acidity of the yogurt balances the richness of the tahini, so even after baking you get a light sauce that brings out the savor of the meat.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Adjust the herbs, spices and lemon juice to taste. 1 lb (500 g) of ground meat makes 4 servings.
Tahini is a paste of ground white sesame and an essential seasoning in Middle Eastern cooking. The oil often separates in the jar, so stir well from the bottom before using. Some sesame pastes are roasted more deeply and have a stronger aroma; if you use one, use a little less so the sauce doesn't turn heavy.
If you have no mixed spices, combine 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a little black pepper for a warm Middle Eastern aroma. Adjust to your taste for aroma.
How to Make Kofta bil Tahini
Bake the dish in a 400°F (200°C) oven. If you start preheating around the time you brown the meatballs, you can pour on the sauce and bake right away.
Cook the ground meat thoroughly to the center. Cut a meatball open, and if red remains inside, bake a few more minutes and check again. Tahini is made from sesame, so people with sesame allergy should not eat it. Yogurt contains milk.
The tahini sauce stiffens a little when baked. If the sauce is too stiff before pouring, the finished dish will have a dry, crumbly texture, so adjust with water to a loose, cream-soup consistency before pouring.
If you try to cook the meatballs through while browning them in the skillet, they get tough as they bake in the oven. It is enough for the surface to be nicely colored; finish the rest in the oven.
Getting the Tahini Sauce Smooth
Tahini has an odd habit: when you add liquid, it first stiffens, then turns smooth if you keep stirring. Depending on the brand, it can also split, so make the sauce with boiling water rather than room-temperature water. If it starts to split anyway, add hot water a little at a time while whisking well.
Serving Kofta bil Tahini
With Potatoes, the Amman Way
Amman home cooks heat the potatoes and onions first so they come out evenly soft in the oven, and the potatoes soak up the sauce until they taste as good as the meatballs. To do it at home, peel potatoes, cut them into 0.5 inches (1 cm) rounds, and parboil until a skewer goes in. Arrange them in the baking dish with the meatballs, pour the sauce over everything, and bake as above.
With Flatbread and Salad
Serve it straight from the dish in the middle of the table. Torn flatbread soaks up the sesame and yogurt sauce, so not a drop goes to waste, though it goes well with rice too. A chopped cucumber and tomato salad alongside refreshes the mouth.
For more Jordanian cooking, try mansaf, the national dish of lamb cooked in fermented dairy sauce, or galayet bandora, an easy dish of sautéed tomatoes. And to compare another dish built on the same kind of ground meat mixture, make Turkish köfte.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make it without a food processor?
Yes. Chop the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro as finely as you can, put them in a bowl with the ground meat, and knead well by hand until it gets sticky.
Is there a way to make it without browning the meatballs?
Yes, and it saves the trouble of browning in a skillet. Shape the mixture into sticks or balls, arrange them in an oiled baking dish, and add pomegranate molasses. Pour over a sauce of tahini, lemon juice, water and a little oil, then bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes.
What should I do with leftovers?
Let it cool a little, put it in a storage container, refrigerate it, and eat it soon. Reheat it in the oven or microwave until heated through. If the sauce has stiffened, loosen it with a little hot water.
