Greek Beef Kofta Ramen
Greek kofta, sometimes called keftedes when pan-fried into meatballs or souvlaki when skewered, is seasoned ground beef shaped into sausage-style patties and grilled until charred at the edges. The spice mixture is the thing that distinguishes it from every other grilled ground meat dish: cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and fresh mint, which sounds like too many flavors going in too many directions until you taste them together and realize they've always belonged in the same mixture. The lemon herb broth underneath is essentially a deconstructed avgolemono without the egg thickening, clean and citrusy and bright enough to stand up to the assertive kofta without being overwhelmed by it.
Cumin and cinnamon—beef shapes itself into heat—feta holds the cold
Let Me Tell You...
The first time I made kofta I under-seasoned them because I was nervous about the cinnamon.
Cinnamon in savory meat preparations has the quality of something that sounds wrong and then makes everything taste more like itself, and the nervousness is understandable but the answer to it is to add more cinnamon rather than less.
The Greeks and the entire eastern Mediterranean have been putting cinnamon in meat dishes for centuries because the warm sweetness connects to the other spices in a way that the cook's hesitation prevents.
Overworking ground beef develops gluten and makes the kofta dense.
Mix once through and stop.
Feta is the finish and it does three things: it adds salt, it adds a tangy dairy note, and it cools the bowl slightly because it goes on cold.
The contrast between the hot grilled kofta and the cold crumbled feta is the same logic as cold sour cream on a hot dish, a temperature play that makes both elements taste more vivid than they would at the same temperature.
Don't skip the feta because you have another cheese.
The brine and the tang are the specific characteristics needed here.
Pre-crumbled feta is drier and less flavorful than block feta fresh from the brine.
The lemon in the broth is more aggressive than it sounds from the recipe.
Two tablespoons of lemon juice in three cups of broth seems modest until you taste it and realize it's doing exactly what avgolemono's acidity does in a bowl of Greek soup, which is pull everything together and make the whole thing feel lighter than the ingredients suggest. If you want more lemon, add more lemon.
Greek cooking handles aggressive citrus with grace.
Cooking lemon juice mellows it.
You want the brightness.
This bowl is the Mediterranean in a ramen context, which is either a contradiction or an inevitability depending on how you feel about both.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 1.25 lbs ground beef (85/15)
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 small yellow onion, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for grilling)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (for broth)
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Preparation
- Combine ground beef, grated garlic, grated onion, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, chopped mint, Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix with hands until just combined. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape each into a short sausage about 3 inches long.
- Make the broth: Combine chicken broth, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and season with salt.
- Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over high heat. Brush kofta with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply charred and cooked through. Rest 3 minutes.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
- Ladle lemon herb broth over noodles. Rest 2 kofta across each bowl. Crumble feta generously over the top. Add optional toppings and serve immediately.