Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner
Kabab Koobideh
کباب کوبیده
Juicy Persian kebabs of lean beef and a little lamb, seasoned with grated onion, turmeric and saffron, then grilled until smoky. They come with charred tomatoes, fluffy basmati rice and a tangy sprinkle of sumac.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 37% · Fat 36% · Protein 27%
Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›
Ingredients
For 4 servings- 500 glean ground beef (90% lean)
- 100 gground lamb
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, grated
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 tspblack pepper, ground
- 1/2 tspground turmeric
- 1 generous pinchsaffron threads
- 2 tbsp30 ghot water (for saffron)
- 4 medium480 gtomatoes
- 1 tsp5 golive oil
- 1 cup185 gbasmati rice, dry
- 2 cups475 gwater (for rice)
- 1 small70 gred onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch20 gfresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tspground sumac
Steps
- 1
Crumble the saffron threads into the 2 tbsp hot water and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- 2
Grate the yellow onion finely, then squeeze it firmly in your hands or a clean cloth to remove as much juice as possible; discard the juice.
- 3
In a large bowl combine the beef, lamb, squeezed onion, salt, pepper, turmeric and half of the saffron water.
- 4
Knead the mixture with your hands for 4–5 minutes until it turns smooth and sticky; this helps it cling to the skewers.
- 5
Cover and chill the meat for 30 minutes so it firms up.
- 6
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, bring the 2 cups water to a boil, add the rice, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes, then rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
- 7
Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Brush the whole tomatoes with the olive oil.
- 8
With damp hands, divide the meat into 8 portions and press each one into a long flat sausage along a wide metal skewer, pinching gentle ridges with your fingers. If you have no flat skewers, shape long logs and grill them directly.
- 9
Grill the kebabs for 4–5 minutes per side, turning carefully, until browned and cooked through to 71 °C / 160 °F in the centre.
- 10
Grill the tomatoes alongside for 8–10 minutes, turning, until blistered and soft.
- 11
Brush the cooked kebabs with the remaining saffron water.
- 12
Slide the kebabs off the skewers and serve with the rice, grilled tomatoes, sliced red onion and parsley, sprinkled with sumac.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use all lean ground beef instead of the beef and lamb mix for a milder flavour and an easier shopping list.
- Swap the beef and lamb for ground chicken or turkey thigh, and chill the mixture a little longer since it is softer to shape. Cook poultry kebabs through to 74 °C / 165 °F in the centre.
- Replace the white basmati with brown basmati, simmering it for about 35 to 40 minutes with a little extra water.
- If you can't find sumac, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the kebabs and onions for a similar tangy finish.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover kebabs, rice and tomatoes in covered containers within 2 hours. Eat the kebabs and tomatoes within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. Cool the rice quickly, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once. Cooked kebabs can be frozen for up to 2 months, but the sliced onion and parsley are best fresh.
Make ahead
Mix and knead the seasoned meat up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or shape the kebabs a few hours before grilling. The saffron water can also be steeped and chilled a day in advance.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
Track this in BerryFit
Log Kabab Koobideh in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.
Or ask Coach Berry to change it
Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (507 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 517 kcal | 102 kcal |
| Protein | 34.3 g | 6.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47.7 g | 9.4 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g | 1.1 g |
| Fiber | 3.4 g | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 20.1 g | 4 g |
| of which saturated | 7.8 g | 1.5 g |
| Sodium | 723 mg | 143 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
