Although I have never been to Iran, I am fascinated by Persian food. It’s rich in heritage, beautifully flavoured and always looks so incredibly vibrant, adorned with pomegranate seeds, nuts, herbs and dried fruits. This is my take on their Koobideh Kebab, one of the most delicious dishes, a hearty meal of minced meat kebabs, brushed with saffron butter and served with rice and salad.
Method
- Pre-heat the grill or BBQ to high. Mix the beef with the onion, garlic, sumac, black pepper, turmeric, egg yolk and a good pinch of salt. I like to give the mix a good blitz in a food processor without the egg, to make it super fine and then work the yolk in after. Divide into 6 and thread onto metal skewers. Brush each kebab with some of the vegetable oil and place onto a grill rack.
- Brush the remaining oil onto the peppers and tomatoes and season well with salt. Place onto the grill rack with the kebabs. Grill everything for 4-5 minutes a side until the meat is charred and cooked through and the veg charred and tender.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the saffron and a good pinch of salt. Swirl around and remove from the heat and leave to one side to infuse for a few minutes.
- To serve, place the kebabs and veg onto a huge mound of rice. Brush the butter all over the kebabs and serve immediately with chilli sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 6 kebabs
500g minced beef
1 onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 middle eastern green peppers or 2 red, quartered
2 tomatoes, halved
60g butter
A pinch of saffron
Rice to serve
Chilli sauce to serve
Sea salt
