Halal Beef Kofta and Lemon Turmeric Rice Bowl

4 servings · 25 minutes preparation · 25 minutes cooking · 15 minutes cooling, chilling or resting

Ingredients

• 1 pound halal-certified ground beef (85% lean)
• 1 small yellow onion, grated and squeezed dry of excess juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 cups white basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly
• 2 1/2 cups halal-certified beef broth or water
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
• 1 tablespoon ground sumac
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup halal-certified plain Greek yogurt or tzatziki
• 1 Persian cucumber, diced into small cubes

Step-by-step instructions

1. Combine the grated and squeezed yellow onion, halal ground beef, minced garlic, chopped parsley, cumin, coriander, allspice, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with clean hands for 2 minutes until the meat mixture turns cohesive and slightly tacky. Divide and shape into 8 oblong kofta patties, place on a plate, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the rinsed basmati rice and ground turmeric, stirring gently for 1 minute to toast the grains and coat them evenly in golden color.
4. Pour in halal-certified beef broth and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, bring to a rolling boil over high heat, cover with a tight lid, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove rice from heat, leave covered undisturbed for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
6. While the rice cooks, toss the thinly sliced red onion with ground sumac and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl; set aside to soften.
7. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chilled kofta patties and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply browned and fully cooked through to a safe internal temperature of 160 F / 71 C.
8. Assemble the bowls by spooning warm golden turmeric rice into wide bowls, arranging two seared beef kofta patties on top, and adding a mound of sumac onions, diced cucumber, and a dollop of cooling yogurt tzatziki.

Kitchen notes

Gently grating the yellow onion and firmly wringing out its water in a clean kitchen towel before adding it to the ground beef is the secret to successful kofta. Trapped excess moisture dissolves the meat bind, causing the patties to crumble apart in the skillet. Kneading the seasoned halal meat until the proteins become slightly stringy and allowing the shaped patties to chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes ensures they hold their shape cleanly during high-heat searing.

Storage & make-ahead

Promptly refrigerate leftover beef kofta, turmeric rice, and sumac onions in airtight containers within 2 hours. Leftovers will keep safely refrigerated for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, reheat the rice and kofta together in a covered skillet or oven dish with a splash of water until steaming hot throughout, reaching an internal food temperature of 165 F / 74 C. Add cucumber and cold yogurt fresh after heating.