Delicious Mediterranean Meat Balls in Yogurt Sauce – Kefta Bi Laban
Kefta bi Laban (meatballs in yogurt sauce)
Labaniyeh means yogurt sauce in Arabic. It’s a tangy, garlicky yogurt sauce that has a hint of mint that keeps your craving more! It can be made with shish barak (a meat-filled pasta similar to tortellini), kusa (stuffed squash), Kibbeh (burgul meatball) or Kefta (spiced meatball).
This time I made it with Kefta and pasta which gave it a similar texture to shish barak without the timely process of making your own tortellini. It was delicious and loved by the entire family. The next day we ate it with a side of rice instead of pasta, which made it into a delicious winter soup. My husband compared it to a Mediterranean version of Italian wedding. Personally I prefer Kefta bi Laban with rice.
Meatball Recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or lamb
1/4 of an onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp 7 spice mix
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and form into a ball. Set aside.
Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients:
1 32 oz tub of Laban (tangy plain yogurt from a Mediterranean market)
1/2 gallon of yogurt drink
1 – 2 tbsp of flour
1 – 2 tbsp of crushed dried mint
4 cloves of garlic, minced.
1 tsp ghee or butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Blend half of the Laban container with half of the yogurt drink with 1 tablespoon of flour in a vitamix blender.
- Transfer to a Dutch oven.
- Repeat with the rest of the Laban and yogurt drink.
- Heat Laban in Dutch oven on medium heat until simmering. Be careful not to scorch or over boil. It can reach a low bubbling temperature.
- At this point, add meatballs (or any other type of substance — kusa, shish-barak, Kibbeh).
- In a separate small skillet, sauté minced garlic in ghee or butter for 1-2 minutes.
- Once meatballs are cooked through, pour garlic and ghee into the Laban.
- Cook for 3 minutes.
Add crushed mint and serve.
Can be served with rice or pasta.