Components
- 500 grams of minced duck meat
- One onion
- Two garlic cloves
- Six sprigs of mint (equivalent to two tablespoons of chopped leaves)
- Five sprigs of parsley (2 tablespoons of chopped leaves)
- small pieces of 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoons of fennel seeds
- One teaspoon of cumin
- Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Half a teaspoon of Syrian pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Add ground pepper gradually, adjusting to your preference.
- oil according to preference
Setup phase
- Peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic cloves. Wash, dry, and finely chop the parsley and mint leaves. Crush the fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle.
- In a spacious bowl, combine the ground meat, onion, garlic, herbs, and lemon zest. Add fennel seeds, cumin, Syrian pepper, cinnamon, salt, and pepper according to your preference. Knead thoroughly with your hands to blend everything together.
- To shape the kaftas: wet your hands with water and take a portion of the meat (approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons). Roll the meat firmly in your palm to form a cylinder about 6 cm long and 2 cm in diameter. Place it on a baking tray and continue shaping the remaining meat in the same way.
- Heat a non-stick (or iron) frying pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and arrange the kaftas side by side without overlapping. Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn the kaftas to brown all sides evenly. Transfer them to a plate and repeat the process with the remaining kaftas, adding olive oil to the pan each time. Serve immediately.
