Fast Lamb Koftas with yoghurt

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb mince
• 1 onion, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g Greek yoghurt
• 15 g fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 flatbreads or pittas
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 15 g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp tahini
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 200 g chopped tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Squeeze the excess liquid from the grated onion with your hands; if it's wet, the mix loosens and the koftas fall off the skewer. Tip the lamb mince into a large bowl, squeezed onion, grated garlic, cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Season generously with salt and plenty of black pepper.
2. Mix firmly with your hands for a full minute until the spices disappear into the meat and the texture turns tacky and uniform.
3. Divide into 12 and shape around skewers into oval koftas, pressing firmly so they grip the wood. No skewers? Shape into small sausages for the pan instead.
4. Heat the olive oil in a heavy stainless or cast-iron frying pan (or griddle pan) over high heat until it shimmers. Lay the koftas in two batches; don't crowd the pan, or they'll steam in their own juices instead of charring. As they hit the hot surface Cook for 3–4 minutes each side, turning once, until deeply charred outside and just cooked through; lamb is at its best with a touch of pink in the middle. Rest for a couple of minutes off the heat while you build the rest.
5. Stir the Greek yoghurt together with the chopped mint, the lemon zest and half the lemon juice. Season with salt, then taste; you want it sharp and herby enough to cut through the lamb.
6. Warm the flatbreads in a dry pan for 30 seconds each side until pliable and lightly blistered at the edges.
7. Pile the koftas onto the warm flatbreads, spoon over a generous dollop of the mint yoghurt, scatter the halved cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley, drizzle with tahini, tear over the extra mint and finish with a squeeze of the remaining lemon juice over the lot.