Kafta bil suniye

Kafta bil suniye is a comforting Lebanese dish of spiced mince patties baked with potato, onion and tomato. Serve with rice studded with buttery toasted vermicelli noodles that add a subtle nuttiness to round out the dish.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

Stream free On Demand

The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

series • CookingPG

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg lamb mince
• 1 medium onion, coarsely grated, plus 2 thinly sliced onions
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped, plus extra sprigs to serve
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp seven spice or allspice
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 5 potatoes, cut into 1 cm slices
• 4 tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tbsp (75 g) tomato paste
• 2½ cups water (or light stock)
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ cup short strand (or broken) vermicelli
• 1 cup long-grain or Lebanese rice
• Thick yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced). In a large bowl, combine the mince, grated onion, parsley, salt and seven spice until well combined. Roll the seasoned mince into 12–14 small flat patties, around 7 cm wide.
2. Lightly grease a 30 cm baking dish. Layer with overlapping potato slices, then top with the kafta patties. Top with sliced onion and tomatoes, spreading them in an even layer, then sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with the olive oil. In a large bowl or jug, whisk the tomato paste and water (or stock) until combined, then pour over the tray until the liquid reaches halfway up the layered meat and vegetables. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is thickened.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan with a lid. Add the vermicelli noodles and toast in the butter, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the rice and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cups (500 ml) boiling water, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to stand, covered, for a further 10 minutes, or until tender. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork.
4. Serve the lamb kafta and vegetables with the buttered rice, sprinkle with parsley sprigs and a dollop of yoghurt (if using).

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

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.