Persian Kabob Food

KABOB KOOBIDEH (PERSIAN GROUND MEAT KABOBS)

Steps:

• Shave onions with a grater into a fine mesh strainer. Gently press pulp into the strainer to remove juices. Place pulp into the center of the cheesecloth and gently press until no further juice drips out.
• Place lamb and beef in a pot. Add green onion and onion pulp; mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in baking powder, salt, pepper, sumac, and turmeric. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Cover the pot and place in the refrigerator until flavors have melded, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Mold meat mixture onto the skewers.
• Cook on the preheated grill, rotating every minute, until nicely browned on all sides, and meat is no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes.

KOOBIDEH KABOB (PERSIAN GROUND BEEF KABOB)

Steps:

• Grate onions using a food processor.
• Place the onion mixture into a blender and puree until smooth, about 2 minutes.*
• Place the onion mixture in a strainer over a bowl and drain the juice. Kabob will not hold its shape if mixture has too much water. Reserve the onion juice.
• Using the food processor again, but with the chopping blade, place meat and salt in alternating layers with the onion mixture.
• Add onion juice little by little if mixture is dry. Meat-onion mix should have elasticity and stretch to it.
• Put kabob mix into big bowl and knead like dough. The more you knead the kabob mix, the lighter the kabob. Texture should be airy, not a solid mass like in a hamburger. Kabob mix shouldn't be sticking to your hands.
• Allow kabob to marinate in a refrigerator in a covered bowl for 2-4 hours.
• Remove kabob mixture from the refrigerator and start your charcoal at least 30 minutes prior to grilling.
• The amount of meat you use, depends on the size of skewers you have. Long flat skewers work best with ground beef kabob as it holds the meat better than a thin round skewer. For our skewers we started with a baseball-size ball of kabob mix.
• Gently pierce the meat patty with your skewer and slide it down to the middle of the skewer. Use reserved onion juice or water to keep your hands moist and to keep them from sticking to the meat.
• Softly squeeze the meat flat as you position the meat onto the skewer. Make sure you leave room on either ends of the skewer as it rests over your grill.
• Using two fingers to mimic scissors, pinch both ends of the kabob meat, cutting off any excess.
• Also using two fingers softly squeeze down the skewer leaving ridges.
• Place skewers on the grill. The meat should not touch any grill plates. Instead the skewers should be propped up over your coals or flame. You know your grill is ready when you hold your hand over the grill for 3 seconds and your hand feel too hot to remain there.
• Cook until done, approximately 15-20 minutes, turning the skewers every minute to evenly cook. If you wait too long and cook one side too much before turning the skewer, your kabob will fall off the skewer.
• As kabobs are done, remove from grill and remove meat from skewers by grabbing it with a sheet of lavash bread and sliding it down the skewer.
• Place the kabob on a serving dish and cover with another sheet of lavash to keep the meat warm.

JUJEH KABOB (PERSIAN CHICKEN KABOBS)

Steps:

• Combine onion, lime juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and saffron in a large glass bowl. Mix in olive oil. Press chicken into the bowl lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Let marinate for 6 hours to overnight, mixing every few hours to make sure chicken is coated.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the bowl, shake off excess marinade, and discard marinade left in the bowl. Place chicken onto metal skewers, making sure it's not too tightly packed.
• Cook skewers on the preheated grill until chicken is browned and no longer pink in the center, turning as needed, 10 to 15 minutes total.