These wraps are very fragile and work best served flat.
Pumpkin-seed wraps with lamb koftas
Makes 5 wraps
Ingredients
For the lamb koftas
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 shallots (or 1 onion), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp all spice
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp coriander
500g lamb or beef mince
20g parsley, finely chopped
10g mint, finely chopped
1 egg
Salt and milled pepper
For the pumpkin seed wraps
½ cup (80g) pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp flaxseed powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp za’atar
Salt and milled pepper
1¼ cup water
2 Tbsp canola oil, for frying
For the tzatziki
½ English cucumber
1 cup double-cream yoghurt
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1 small clove garlic, grated
10g dill, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
To serve
Handful chopped cherry tomatoes
Chopped cucumber
Rocket leaves
Method
- For the koftas, add oil to a hot pan and sauté shallot or onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, until golden.
- Add garlic and spices. Fry for another minute until fragrant, then remove and cool.
- Add cooled onion mixture to a bowl with the mince, herbs and egg. Season and use a fork to mash everything together evenly.
- Portion mixture into 12 koftas (about 50g each), shaping each into a small oval. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- For the wraps, place seeds, flaxseed powder, flour and spices into a food processor. Blend into a fine powder (small chunks will remain). Season.
- Add water and stir until smooth. (Mixture should be a watery but thick consistency).
- Heat oil in a 20cm pan over high heat.
- Add ½ cup of batter to the pan, fry for 3 minutes before flipping and frying for another 2 minutes. Remove and enclose in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat to make 5 wraps.
- For the tzatziki, grate cucumber and squeeze flesh between your palms to remove as much liquid as possible (or add to a fine mesh sieve and press cucumber with a spoon).
- Add cucumber to a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Brush koftas with oil and grill in batches over a hot griddle pan (or in a frying pan) until lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Remove and add to a tray.
- Place koftas in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Lather a spoonful of tzatziki onto a wrap, top with 2-3 koftas and salad. Repeat to make five wraps and serve.
Good to know
Pumpkin seeds provide generous amounts of magnesium, an essential mineral helping with balanced blood pressure, stress and sleep. Don’t throw away the seeds when cleaning out a pumpkin for dinner. Wash to separate from the pumpkin fibres, then dry and roast with spices to add to salads, soups and pastas.
Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Also read: Breakfast muesli bars
