We had Koobideh last night - grilled beef and lamb on skewers with crispy Persian rice. This is easy and fun to make. I have adapted a recipe below without some of the spices that are called for since I don't have them. It tastes like a yummy spiced-up burger. Add some grilled veggies and a simplified Persian cucumber yogurt sauce, Mast-o Khier, and your dinner is ready to go. Spotify Persian Essentials
Ingredients
Kabobs
1 ½ pounds ground beef (80-85% lean)
1 pound ground lamb (80-85% lean)
1 ½ medium yellow onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ cup butter, melted; option for brushing over the kabobs after grilling
Grilled Vegetables
4 ripe but firm Roma tomatoes
1 large green bell pepper, stem removed, deseeded and quartered
Olive oil to brush the vegetables with before grilling
Preparation
You will need ten 1-inch metal skewers. I only have wood ones, and they are not great for the weight of the meat - but it kind of worked.
Meat should be at room temperature.
Place the onion pieces in a food processor and pulse until minced. Place a fine metal mesh over a bowl and strain the processed onion. Discard the juice.
Add the remaining onion pulp to a medium bowl.
Add the ground beef and lamb, minced garlic, salt, spices and egg to the bowl. Knead all of the ingredients for several minutes until the mixture is paste like and sticks together without falling apart.
Divide the meat into 10 equal balls.
Take one ball and place the skewer on top of it and squeeze the meat around the skewer. Cover the middle section of the skewer. Leave the top and bottom of the skewer clear. The meat should be about ½ inch thick all around the skewer.
Set the skewer gently on a shallow baking sheet with sides, so the meat does not touch the floor of the baking sheet. Continue making the rest of the kabobs.
Prepare grill. You will need two square metal pipes (something that will not burn) that you will place parallel to each other on top and bottom of the cooking grate of your grill lengthwise. The top pipe is for placing the tip of the skewers and the bottom one is for the handles. This is so the skewers are raised and the meat does not touch the hot grate, otherwise it will stick and fall right off.
The vegetables take longer to grill than the meat, so if the space is limited, grill the vegetables first and keep them warm under an aluminum foil. If there is enough grilling surface start grilling the veggies first and halfway through grilling, start the kabobs.
Place as many kabob skewers as you can fit on the grill, leave some space between them. As soon as you are done arranging all the skewers, start turning the first skewer and keep turning the rest in the order that you have placed them on the grill. The reason for this quick turning is to cook both sides of the kabobs for a short time so the meat cooks and firms up all around and does not fall off the skewer. Turn the kabobs again until you get the doneness you desire. The kabobs should have a nice grilled color on the outside and no longer pink inside, but still very juicy. Temperature should be 135˚ to 140˚ for medium doneness.
When the kabobs are ready, remove them from the heat and into a container lined with a large aluminum foil. Keep the kabobs covered with the foil until ready to serve.
To serve, use a piece of flat bread (soft lavash, or pita bread) larger than the palm of your hand. Slide kabob off the skewer onto lavash and onto the serving platter. This is the easiest and safest way to pull the kabobs off the skewer.
Option: Brush melted butter over the kabobs.
Serve immediately with Persian rice that has been tossed with cubed softened butter along with grilled vegetables, lavash and a yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce
I did not have some of the classic ingredients (mint, dill, raisins, walnuts) for Mast-o Khier, so this is really more of a basic tzatziki.
Ingredients
1 cup Greek whole milk yogurt
1 English cucumber, seeded, finely grated and drained
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preparation
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Keep chilled.
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