Shared by Elana Benjamin
Shared by Elana Benjamin
Shiftas (Ground Beef Koftas)
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 30 minutes
Shiftas (Ground Beef Koftas)
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 30 minutesFamily Journey
Baghdad, Iraq Bombay (present-day Mumbai), IndiaBombay (present-day Mumbai), India
Sydney, Australia
These flavorful beef patties, known as shiftas, are adapted from traditional versions made with lamb or chicken in Iraq. This recipe uses ground beef and adds Indian spices for extra warmth and depth. In her cookbook “Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Streets of Bondi,” Elana Benjamin points out that they go by many similar names — the “Awafi” cookbook calls them shooftas, Claudia Roden’s “The Book of Jewish Food” mentions shoftas among Burmese Jews, and Linda Dangoor’s “Flavours of Babylon” refers to them as shefta.
Cooking notes: This version is oven-baked, but shiftas are just as delicious grilled or barbecued. For a gluten-free version, substitute the bread with 2 tablespoons of potato starch.
Read more about Elana’s family in "The Sydney Backyard BBQs with Cricket and Indian-Iraqi Cooking" and get her recipes for aloo bhaji (potatoes with spices) and agar-agar (rosewater jelly).
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint, finely chopped (optional)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 slice white bread, soaked in water until soggy, then squeezed to remove excess water
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Step 2
Fill a small bowl with water and set it aside — you’ll use this to help shape the shiftas.
Step 3
Lightly grease a large, preferably non-stick, baking tray.
Step 4
Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly until evenly incorporated.
Step 5
Using your hands, scoop out portions of the mixture and form them into small sausage-like shapes, about 3-inches long and 1-inch wide, dipping your hands in the bowl of water as needed to smooth the surface and prevent sticking.
Step 6
Arrange the shaped shiftas on the prepared tray. Bake for 15 minutes. You may see some liquid accumulate on the tray — this will evaporate during the final stage of baking.
Step 7
After 15 minutes, flip the shiftas over with tongs and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned.
Step 8
Shiftas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
This recipe comes from Elena Benjamin’s “Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Streets of Bondi.”
