Minted lamb and mushroom kebabs

Chef Hassan M’Souli from Sydney's Out of Africa introduces this recipe for Moroccan minted lamb and mushroom kebabs. This is a great example of a Middle Eastern salad that's easy to prepare (it can be made the day before and refrigerated), and versatile as you can replace the lamb with beef. The combination of mint and yoghurt gives the dressing a fresh taste.

file:9640_minted-lamb.jpg

• serves

  4

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup mint leaves
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh only
• 400 g boneless lamb fillet or steaks, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 32 button mushrooms
• ½ cup sliced spring onions
• freshly ground black pepper
• couscous, asparagus and chickpea salad, to serve
• yoghurt, mint and sultana dressing (see below), to serve
• ground sweet paprika, to garnish

Yoghurt, mint and sultana dressing (makes about 1 ½ cups)

• 1 cup natural yoghurt
• ½ cup mint leaves
• ½ cup sultanas
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp white pepper

Chilling time 20 minutes

Instructions

To make the dressing, process the yoghurt, mint and sultanas in a blender until smooth and creamy. Stir through the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine the mint and preserved lemon flesh in a food processor or blender. Process to a paste.

Place the lamb, mushroom and spring onions into a shallow dish. Spoon the dressing over. Season with pepper. Toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the barbecue or chargrill pan. Thread the meat and mushrooms onto skewers. Reserve the marinade. Cook the kebabs on the preheated hot barbecue or chargrill pan over high heat, turning and brushing with the reserved marinade frequently for 8–10 minutes or until cooked.

Serve hot on a bed of couscous, asparagus and chickpea salad, drizzle with yoghurt mint and sultana dressing. Garnish with sweet paprika.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.