Kabab

[drivin_me_nuts]

Here's a suggestion for home made kababs. Substitute which ever meat you want, but if you are using lamb then try and mix with another meat that is less greasy.


1 Kg mince turkey/lamb or mix
8 onions
generous bunch corriander very finely chopped
generous bunch flat leaf parsley very finely chopped
4 tablespoons rice flour
turmeric
black pepper
roasted powered paprika (waitrose sell this)
generous pinch salt
juice of a whole lime
chives - a generous handfull
saffron dust*

Advier - Iranian spice, can be found in pretty much all middle eastern type shops. It is this spice that gives middle eastern kababs their distinctive flavour. Add a teaspoon to the mix.


Grate onions using a hand grater into a seive over a bowl. Press out the water until you are left with onion pulp.
Mix the mince and the onions thouroughly with your hands - best way is to literally let the mix squeeze through your fingers. Not pretty, but preoduces the best results.
Sprinkle over the rice flour (binder) - for this amount about 3 or 4 tablespoons will suffice.
Add all herbs and spices, lime juice, saffron dust parsley, corriander and chives and again squeeze through your fingers until all mixed very well.
Leave for at least one hour, preferably four or ideally overnight in the fridge.

Now, take a cold non stick frying pan - ideally a small pancake size one NOT a full size pan and squeeze into it some of the mix. Make a single pattie about a centimetre thick and no thicker. Prick the surface all over with a fork, down to the pan surface.
Place on a moderate hob and cook one side for about ten minutes. The aim here is to cook about half way through.
With a wide spatula turn the pattie over. If whould be well cooked to turn over in one piece. At this stage, pour in a little (read one tablespoon) of olive oil into the pan and let cook for another five minutes or so. Now take your spatula and slice the pattie into kabak lengths.. In doing so you will be able to see if the meat is cooked and ready. The mix will be dense enough for you to turn over each kabak individually. Thy might needs another couple of minutes, but don't kill them!

Wash the pan and rinse in cold water and start again of there is any mix left over (last night I cooked this quantity and I has to cook 3 batches)

This meal is best eaten with roasted tomatoes (or failing that half tomatoes dried fried in a low heat pan for at least half an hour with the addition of a pinch of salt), flat bread, or basmati rice and served with both red and white radishes, red basil and flat leaf parsley.

What is also very good to sprinkle on top when eating is a herb/spice called Sumak - again most middle eastern shops sell it.

• saffron dust.

The best way to infuse food with saffron is to invest in s small unglazed mortar and pestle. You can find suppliers on line and you want one no larger that an expresso cup. When you buy it, prime it with caster sugar . i.e grind caster sugar until it turns to dust. When you want saffron dust, add a generous pinch of the saffron fronds to the mortar and a pinch of sugar and grind away. The sugar acts as a grinding paste and you will have adecent amount of saffron dust. For rice and the like, infuse the dust in a couple of tablespoons of boiling water. The small amout of sugar won't change the falvour of food at all.

Don't use the mortar and pestle for anything else other than saffron and keep your saffron wrapped in foil in a cool place.

[Mobile Chicane]

Awesome.

I love middle-eastern / north african flavours.

Keep them coming.