Kafta Batata- Meat Patty with Potatoes in Tomato Gravy

December 24, 2012

Its been a crazy food week for us- over the weekend we cooked different dishes, we always wanted to eat at home; including the shrimp burgers. One of the dishes we were particularly craving for were the Kafta Batata with Rice. (Meat patty with potato in tomato gravy served with Lebanese rice). One of our most favorite from the Lebanese dishes that we tried at Beirut in Bangkok. It’s a must go place if you are in Thailand! This dish is as meaty in flavor as it can get- you will love it and crave for it once your palate gets accustomed to the taste of meat.

You will notice that there are not many spices used expect for Za’atar Powder- it’s a special mix of spices used in Arabic cuisine.

Kafta Batata- Meat Patties with Potatoes

Recipe: Kafta Batata

Ingredients

For Patty:

½ kg Minced Meat
1 small onion (chopped finely) + 1 small onion cut in circles
1-1/2 tsp Za’atar Powder
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of Parsley finally chopped

For Gravy:

3 Potatoes- sliced in 4 quarters for one potato
2 tomatoes – sliced circularly
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 glasses water

Utensils:

Oven- Baking Tray

Instructions

Take minced beef and grind it well in a grinder.
Add chopped onion and grind it further.
Add 1 tbsp water if needed to ensure the grinding is done well
Add parsley and rest of spices and grind it further.
Now make the patty sized kafta with your hand.
Fry them till half cooked and put aside.
You can also fry a sample kafta and test the spice level. If not appropriate add more Za’atar powder.
Take potatoes and add them in a fry pan with pinch of salt.
Let it fry till half cooked. Take out and dab the oil.
Take a baking trying at least 2 inches deep.
Place the sliced tomatoes, onion rings layered with half cooked Kafta and layer the potatoes too.
Preheat the oven to 200 C

Layering it in baking tray

To cook gravy

Take about 3 glasses of water and add 3-tablespoon tomato paste. Let it boil and simmer till mixed well.
The quantity can increase or decrease depending on the width of your baking tray.
Pour this gravy over the layer of Kafta and Batata in the baking tray till completely covered.
Cover the baking tray with the aluminum foil and bake it at 200 C for about 20 minutes or till the gravy thickens, sliced tomatoes and onions are soft and the potatoes are cooked through. This helps in combining all the flavors in the gravy.
Serve it in a deep bowl with rice. Bets goes with Baba Ghanouj

For rice