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| Persian Grilling - Kabab
Recipes:
Chelow Kabab | Lamb
Kabab
Kababs,
convenient and virtually foolproof, are very popular. The meat is marinated
in herbs, onion, garlic, and vinegar or lime juice or yogurt. Then, when
it is nearly time to eat, the meat is threaded onto skewers (a small piece
of lamb tailfat can be placed between every two pieces of meat) and cooked
over glowing charcoals for a subtly perfumed, flame-rich flavor. Persians
like to use the very tender meat from the loin, but leg of lamb can also
be used, best when it is marinated for at least 24 hours before grilling.
The
method for preparing and cooking kababs varies from traditional American
barbecuing. Instead of wooden skewers, long, flat metal (preferably stainless
steel) skewers are used. Different widths are used for different types
of kababs. Thin, 1/8 inch-wide skewers are used when the meat is in cubes.
Medium width, 3/8 inch-wide skewers are used for strips of meat and chicken.
Large, 1 inch-wide skewers are used for ground meat kababs. For best results,
ground meat kababs should not be cooked on a grill surface, rather they
should straddle the coals and be supported at either end by the grill
edges or bricks. The meat is brushed with the baste mixture occasionally
and turned frequently. The kabab is cooked just long enough to be seared
on the outside, pink and juicy within. The following is a listing of the
most popular kabab dishes:
Fillet
Kabab- Kabab-e barg |
Credits: All photos and recipes from New Food of Life: Ancient Persian & Modern Iranian Cooking & Ceremonies or Silk Road Cooking: a Vegetarian Journey, copyright Najmieh Batmanglij 1986-2004. Courtesy of Mage Publishers, 1032 29th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007. |
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Since
the discovery of fire, chefs have found that meats are imbued with a wonderful
flavor when cooked over an open flame. The Persian word for grilled meat,
kabab (and its variants kebob, and kabob), has entered the West's culinary
vocabulary.