Kebab Koobideh (Persian Ground Meat Kebab)

Kebab koobideh is Iran’s most famous minced-meat kebab: a long, flat skewer of ground lamb or beef mixed with grated onion, then grilled until smoky outside and very juicy inside. It tastes savoury and gently spiced, with a deep onion sweetness and a hint of saffron. It is also one of the most searched-for Persian dishes in English, and as the weather turns cooler it is a great way to bring something smoky and satisfying to the table, even without a charcoal grill.

It needs only a handful of supermarket ingredients: ground meat, onion, salt, pepper, turmeric and a pinch of saffron. The craft is in the technique, and the tips below make the difference between a dry meatball and a proper koobideh.

Tips for juicy, well-shaped kebabs

• Use fat. Choose ground meat with about 20% fat. Lean mince gives dry, crumbly kebabs. A half lamb, half beef mix is traditional and balanced.
• Grate the onion and squeeze it dry. Wrap the grated onion in a clean towel and squeeze out the juice. Too much liquid is the main reason kebabs fall off the skewer.
• Knead for several minutes. Work the mixture with wet hands until it becomes sticky and paste-like. This protein development is what holds it on the skewer.
• Chill before shaping. Rest the mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour (overnight is fine). Cold meat is much easier to mould.
• Wet hands, wide skewers. Persian cooks use flat metal skewers. If you only have thin round ones, use two parallel skewers per kebab or shape the meat into flat patties instead.
• Do not move them too early. Let the first side set and release naturally before turning.

No grill? Three easy methods

Oven: lay the skewers across a baking dish or shape on a lined tray and cook on the top shelf at 250°C (480°F) or under a hot broiler, turning once. Skillet: shape flat oval patties and sear in a hot cast-iron pan. Grill pan: works well for flat kebabs of about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick. In every case brush with the saffron butter at the end for colour and aroma.

How to serve it

In Iran, kebab koobideh arrives on a plate of fluffy white rice (chelow) topped with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of sumac, with a grilled tomato and a raw onion wedge on the side. At home, serve it with basmati rice, a simple Shirazi salad (diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lemon and mint), and a bowl of yogurt. Sumac is a tangy, lemony ground berry sold in most supermarkets or online; if you cannot find it, use a squeeze of lemon. Lavash or pita makes a fine wrap for leftovers.

Variations

• All beef or all lamb: both work, as long as the fat content is about 20%.
• Chicken koobideh: use ground chicken thigh, but cook just until done and add a spoon of yogurt for moisture.
• Kebab wraps: pull the cooked meat off the skewer into warm flatbread with tomato, onion and herbs.

Storage

Keep cooked kebabs in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water. You can also freeze the shaped, uncooked kebabs on a tray, then wrap them well and keep them for up to 2 months. Cook from frozen on a slightly lower heat for a few extra minutes. Always cook ground meat until it is no longer pink in the centre.