Today we’re jumping to the Middle East flavors to make a delicious dinner for the whole family – vegan kofta kebabs. O mother, I was so afraid that they would fall apart, won’t keep the proper shape, and it turned out that the “chickpeas on a stick” tasted great and is a very nice idea for a healthy dinner.
These beautiful lebanese shish-kebabs are usually prepared with lamb meat, but today we will prepare them only with vegetables and I can assure you that they taste great!
I especially recommend this dish with baked potatoes (just as in the picture), or with my tabbouleh salad. Great additions are also: tzatziki (or my cucumber salad) or ajvar.
CHICKPEA – I used my favorite chickpeas in a jar here, but I think a canned one will do as well. The secret is to rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and then dry it well. Thanks to this, the ready shapes will not fall apart and they will bake nicely in the oven.
SHAPE – koftas are usually a cylindrical shape, but honestly, if you want to make meatballs or chops go ahead and try it, I encourage you to experiment. However, it is important that the shape is not too thick, then the excess water will not evaporate in the oven and the mass will be too liquid.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cans of chickpeas
- 1 parsley
- 4 tablespoons of frozen spinach
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- dill to taste
- 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (or plain flour for coating)
VEGAN KOFTA – PREPARATION
- Start by draining and drying the chickpeas well. Chop the onion finely, grate the carrots and squeeze the garlic.
- Fry the onion and garlic, and when the onion is translucent, add the carrot. After 5 minutes, add the frozen spinach and wait for it to defrost.
- When it’s good, add spices: garam masala, cumin, coriander and paprika. Chop the dill and parsley.
- Grind the chickpeas in a blender or by using a fork, add everything from the pan, herbs and chickpea flour. Form rolls of the mass and stick them on the picks.
- Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the koftas for a few minutes on each side. Then transfer koftas on a baking sheet, rub with a tiny bit of oil and bake them at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
