Jul 31
Its summer and time to get out doors and begin grilling some good stuff! How about some Joojeh Kabab to satisfy your appetite?!
Note:you will need skewers that are thinner than those used for Kabab Koobideh.
Below you will see two different types of marinated Joojeh Kabab. One is the normal Joojeh Kabab (left) and the other is a spicy version (right):
Ingredients:
Chicken breast(s) — Every skewer holds about 1 chicken breast, and usually you will need 1 to 2 skewers per person
olive oil — Approximately half a cup (for 2-3 chicken breasts)
salt — desired amount
pepper — desired amount
turmeric — half a teaspoon or slightly more than that
chopped onion(s) - 1 large for 2-3 chicken breasts
saffron (optional) - just a tad
red pepper or chili pepper (optional) — if you want to make them spicy
Directions:
Cut up the chicken breast into pieces. The size of the pieces depends on the size of your skewer.
Add the chicken pieces to a container or bowl that has a lid.
Marinade the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, a tad bit turmeric, chopped onions, and saffron (finely ground). Make sure to mix the chicken pieces into the marinade so that all the pieces are coated. Note: If you want to make the chicken spicy add the red pepper as part of the marinade. Place the lid on the container (bowl) and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
When you are ready to make the Joojeh Kabab prepare your grill. If you are using charcoal you will need to fix the grill and wait until the charcoal is heated prior to placing the skewers onto the grill.
Place chicken pieces onto the skewers and cook them on the grill. Rotate the skewers to make sure both sides are cooked evenly. Depending on how juicy you want the Joojeh to be you will need to adjust the grilling time (5 to 10 minutes). It does not take long for the Joojeh Kabab to be cooked and ready, but you want to avoid having too much of a flaming grill because your Joojeh will burn on the outside and not cook on the inside. With practice your timing will become better.
Serve with rice, sabzi khoordan (herbs such as mint, tarragon, etc.), or bread.
Tagged with: Chicken • olive oil • Saffron
Dec 31
Visiting family is always fun! Especially when it comes to making all sorts of Kabab’s. We recently made Kabab Chenjeh, which are pieces of lamb or beef tenderloin (fillet) that are grilled.
Kabab Chenjeh
Ingredients (2-4 people):
1 lbs lamb tenderloin (fillets) — cut into small squares
1 large red onion –finely chopped
very small dash of salt
black pepper
oil or olive oil
Directions:
For the marination of the Kabab Chenjeh finely chop up the onion and mix it in with the meat. Add a bit of black pepper and some oil. If you want to add salt make sure to only add a very small amount (a dash).
Marinade the meat at least 1 day prior to grilling. This is make the meat far more tender 
For grilling the Kabab Chenjeh, you will add pieces to a Kabab Skewer and then grill. If you grill it too much the Kabab will become dry and wont be as good. If the fire is high it should take only about 5-6 minutes for the Kabab Chenjeh to cook. You don’t want to burn the meat either, so make sure you keep an eye on it.
Serve with rice or bread …and of course some mint, green onions, etc. for garnish
Tagged with: Lamb
Sep 15
Many people (typically not Persian’s) think of kabab (kabob) as something on a tiny stick with bell peppers, and onions in between small beef pieces. Here I will explain my recipe (or rather one passed down by my dad) for Kabab (Kabob) Koobideh.
Kabab (Kabob) Koobideh
Ingredients:
1 lb meat - the best meat will be 80/20 …lean meat will not come out juicy!!
liquid saffron (optional)
Somagh (Sumac)
salt/pepper
3 spoons noon khoshk (breadcrumbs)
1 large red onion (or other onion if you prefer)- need to grate the onion and strain all the water out of it…it needs to be dry!
Directions:
Mix the ingredients well, and mash the ingredients up so well that the meat finds a sticky effect. Leave it in the fridge for an hour or two. When you bring the meat out once again mash it up and punch it. Then the hard part of forming it on the kabab skewers comes. This takes much practice and honestly I cant do it that well. You will take small amounts of the meat and stick it to the skewer by pressing down and getting it to stick well. I will have a video up soon that will show you the way in which it is made, and how to form it on the skewer. I also have a little cheating kit where you can push the skewer into the meat.
When you go to cook the kabob on the grill make sure you flip it over really fast at the beginning. Otherwise if one side cooks and the other hasn’t the meat will all fall off the skewer. Once done take the meat off the skewer using bread (usually pita). Serve with bread or rice.
Note: You may want to grill some tomatoes as well since they go really good with the kabob!
Tagged with: Beef • Saffron • Somagh
