Iranians – and people all across the Middle East – love to use these mega skewers to make their kababs – meat, tomatoes, all of it! After cooking, they slide the sausage-like portion either into pita bread or next to rice. Koobideh is almost always served with whole grilled tomatoes (on the skewers).
| Servings |
| 4-6 people |
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Iranians – and people all across the Middle East – love to use these mega skewers to make their kababs – meat, tomatoes, all of it! After cooking, they slide the sausage-like portion either into pita bread or next to rice. Koobideh is almost always served with whole grilled tomatoes (on the skewers).
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Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 lb ground beef (or lamb)
- 1 Tbsp turmeric
- 1 Tbsp sumac
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 egg , beaten
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
- First, mince the onions. I pulse them in a food processor a few times until they were roughly chopped.
- Next add meat and spices.
- Give the mixture several pulses until it comes together, scraping about two times as you go. You want the mixture to change in texture, to become dense and pasty. It won’t look like ground beef any more. In fact, the meat will turn yellow, from the turmeric. (If the turmeric stains your processor spindle, no biggie. Simply soak it in a little bleach water over night.)
- Cover and refrigerate the beef overnight (or for a minimum of 1 hour).
- The next day, press the meat around the skewers with the palm of your hand. Once you get the mixture pretty even, use your thumb and forefinger to press little lines into the meat. Not only is it pretty, it’s also how bites are indicated. Each segment is meant to be about a mouthful.
- Grill on both sides over a medium hot grill until done, about ten minutes (depending on thickness etc). Serve with a sprinkling of sumac and a dip in pomegranate syrup (available at natural food stores).