Spiced Lamb Köfte with Herb & Lactose-Free Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients

• 600 g lamb mince
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 200 g lactose-free plain yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 15g fresh mint, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, green tops only, finely sliced
• 1 tsp sumac
• salt and black pepper
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Tip the lamb mince into a large bowl with the cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon and chilli flakes. Season generously with salt and black pepper — this is your main seasoning moment, so don't be shy. Toasting the spices happens in the pan later, but mixing them through raw mince now lets them perfume every bite.
2. Work the mixture with your hands for a minute or two until the spices are evenly distributed and the mince feels tacky. Divide into 12 portions and shape each one around a metal skewer into a sausage, or roll into oval patties. Chill for 10 minutes if the mix feels soft — cold köfte hold their shape on the heat.
3. Stir the lactose-free yoghurt together with most of the chopped mint, the lemon juice (hold back a squeeze for the platter) and a pinch of salt. Taste it now — it should be cool, herby and lemon-bright. Adjust the salt and acid until it sings; bland yoghurt drags the whole plate down.
4. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a heavy frying pan or griddle pan over high heat until it shimmers. The infused oil carries the garlic flavour without raw cloves to burn — but still keep your eye on it: if it smokes hard or smells acrid, pull the pan off and let it settle. Burnt oil turns bitter and you can't rescue it.
5. Lay the köfte in the pan in two batches — don't crowd them. All 12 at once and the pan temperature drops, water weeps out of the lamb, and you'll steam them instead of searing. You want a deep mahogany crust with charred edges.
6. Cook for 3–4 minutes per side, turning carefully, until deeply browned and just cooked through — about 8 minutes total. They should feel firm but not rock-hard when pressed. Rest for a minute or two off the heat.
7. Taste the yoghurt sauce one more time and tweak the salt if needed — adjust now, not at the table. Spread it across a wide platter in a generous swoosh.
8. Lay the köfte over the yoghurt, scatter with the spring onion green tops, parsley and the remaining mint, dust with sumac for that ruby-red citrussy hit, and finish with a final squeeze of lemon over the lot. Serve straight away with rice or warm gluten-free flatbread alongside.