Kabob Koobideh

Name: Kabob Koobideh
Prep time: 43 min
Cook time: 29 min
Total time: 132 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 tsp ground saffron; 1 1/2 lb ground lamb; 1 1/2 lb ground beef (80% lean); 3/4 lb white onion; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 6 roma tomatoes; 1 lavash bread; about 540 g Persian rice; 1 sabzi khordan (fresh herbs); 3 cubes ice cubes

Recipe from Unicorns in the Kitchen

Juicy Persian grilled minced meat kabob made with ground lamb and beef, grated onion and bloomed saffron, served with grilled tomatoes, rice and fresh herbs.

Health score 4.6/10
72 min
Prep 43 min
Serves 6
Medium
872 kcal

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Ingredients

ground lamb1 1/2 lb
ground beef (80% lean)80% lean1 1/2 lb
white onionweigh after grating and squeezing out the excess liquid3/4 lb
roma tomatoesfor grilling and serving6
lavash breadfor loosening the kababs from the skewers and for serving1
Persian ricefor serving; Not given in the recipe — about 90 g per personabout 540 g
sabzi khordan (fresh herbs)for serving1
ice cubesfor blooming the saffron3 cubes

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ground saffron1/2 tsp
kosher salt1 tbsp
black pepper1 tsp

Method

Sprinkle the ground saffron over 3 ice cubes and leave them to melt at room temperature; this is your bloomed saffron.
In a large bowl, mix the ground lamb, ground beef and grated onion with your hands until everything is very well combined; this takes about 15 minutes.
Add the salt, black pepper and bloomed saffron and knead again for at least 10 more minutes until the mixture is sticky with a paste-like consistency and very well combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Once you are ready to grill, take the mixture out of the fridge and keep a bowl of warm water close to you.
Grab a fistful of the mixture, form it into an oval shaped ball and press it onto a 1-inch wide skewer. Wet your hands again and spread the meat on the skewer with your fingers until you have a 6 inch long kebab about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick on each side.
Using your thumb and index finger, make indentations from top to bottom to ensure the meat is sticking to the skewer. Using your index and middle finger, remove a small piece of each end of the meat on the skewer so it is fully stuck to the skewer.
Repeat with the remaining meat and skewers and place all the prepared skewers on a rimmed baking sheet so the meat does not touch the sheet.
Thread the roma tomatoes onto a skewer as well.
This kabob is best on a charcoal grill (mangal) where the skewers are set above the burning charcoal to cook with the heat. The kabobs should not touch the grates, so if you cannot remove the grill grates, place two flat-sided metal pipes or a few bricks parallel to each other on either side of the grill to elevate the skewers.
Preheat the grill. If using charcoal, make sure the coals are not smoking and are uniformly glowing and partially covered with ashes. Your grill should be very hot before you start grilling the kabobs.
Have a pot with a lid and some lavash at hand. Once the grill is hot, place the skewers on the grill and constantly flip them so the meat does not fall off. Each koobideh takes about 3 to 4 minutes and the tomatoes take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a piece of lavash, loosen both ends of the kabab on the skewer and slide it into the pot. Cover with the lid so it does not get cold while you grill the rest.
Serve kabob koobideh with rice, grilled tomatoes and herbs.

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