Middle eastern Kebab recipe please

[Cathy-O]

Hello Hajjar

Congratulations on becoming co-host of this forum! Please could you provide me with a recipe for middle eastern style beef kababs that I can grill on the barbecue. I know that normally kababs are made of lamb, but i would like to make mine of ground beef. I guess I have to buy fatty beef, or add some fat so it can drip off. I await your reply. So far the best kababs I have tasted are Irani kebabs. Just to make it more clear I would like a recipe for the long kebabs (sheesh?) not the cubes.

Total quantity of ground beef 1.5 kgs

[chef FIFI]

Are you talking about kufta (kifta) kabab?
The kind of kebabs made out of ground meat perhaps?
If so here is a recipe for it in the oven, just omit the topping to it. Prepare the meat mixture as follows and fashion them around the skewers. If you would like to use ground beef, dont use lean, the higher the fat, the better they will cook and taste.

Middle Eastern Kufta...Quick and Easy...and So Tasty recipe #83827

[Cathy-O]

Chef Fifi, I have made this recipe before. I remember you gave it to me when I asked once before. Since you haven't mentioned quantities of spices in the recipe, I probably put too little and ended up with a very bland dish. I shall try doing it this time on the skewers and I shall be more generous with the spices for a stronger flavor. Thank you!

[chef FIFI]

Sorry it came out bland...
Because I dont measure spices when I cook at home...it was very hard to estimate.
This is always a very well flavored dish at our house. If you do decide to remake this dish, add more seasoning. Please dont forget to review my recipe if you make it, I greatly appreciate it

[Zurie]

Could this be it? DOUBLE the recipe: you have exactly double the quantity of meat mentioned in the recipe.

Sorry I have to post it like this: I suggest if you like it, you copy-and-paste to Word or whatever program you use for recipes.

Beef Kefta-Kebabs with Tunisian Salad

Description:
Wonderfully seasoned ground meat mixture, shaped into sausages and cooked on skewers - served with a Tunisian salad

Serves/Makes:6

Ingredients for Ground Meat Kefta:

1-1/2 lbs (.7 kg). ground meat (use any kind - good quality)
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated onion
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml). finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 ml). dried mint, crumbled
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp (5 ml). ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 ml). Spanish paprika
1/4 tsp (1 ml). cayenne pepper

Tunisian Chopped Vegetable Salad:

1 cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 hot pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 ml). crumbled Egyptian mint (can subtitute regular)
2 tbsp (30 ml). mild vinegar
4 tbsp (60 ml). olive oil

Preparation

In large bowl, combine all ingredients, cover and let sit at room temp. for one hour.

Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for an hour.

While meat and skewers are "waiting", make salad:

In separate bowl, combine all salad ingredients, toss well to mix the flavors and oil and seasonings, and let marinate at room temp. until ready to serve.

Preheat broiler or grill.

Dip hands into water, and shape about a third cup of meat into sausage shape kefta and put two on each skewer.

Grill or broil until cooked, a few minutes on each side.

Serve hot with salad and flat bread.

(I would add more mint, cumin, paprika and cayenne -- Zee)

[Cathy-O]

Yippee Zee! I have all the ingredients in the house including the wooden skewers. I usually see it made here in Dubai with flat metal skewers which i don't have. I was planning to try Fifi's recipes but haven't bought the allspice yet. I shall take your advice and increase the amounts of the spices. Hope my meat mixture doesn't fall of the skewers.

[Zurie]

Cathy-O wrote:
Yippee Zee! I have all the ingredients in the house including the wooden skewers. I usually see it made here in Dubai with flat metal skewers which i don't have. I was planning to try Fifi's recipes but haven't bought the allspice yet. I shall take your advice and increase the amounts of the spices. Hope my meat mixture doesn't fall of the skewers.

Oh, you're in Dubai?? I bet it's hot and humid!

I found another recipe -- there are many, only the spices differ a little:

Kefta
(Middle Eastern spiced meatballs)
Yield: 4-6 servings, or about 20 meatballs

INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT

Ground lamb, beef, or a mixture of the two 2 lbs
Onion minced 1 each
Parsley or mint, fresh or dried minced or crumbled 1/2 bunch or 1 T
Cumin, ground 1 T
Cinnamon 2 t
Allspice (opt.) 1 t
Salt & pepper to season

METHOD

Basic Steps: Mix → Chill → Sauté or Grill
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and knead together well. Wrap in plastic and chill 1-2 hours to meld flavors and make easier to handle.
Form meat mixture into ovals the size of a small egg.
Fry in batches in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil till browned on the outside and cooked through. Browned meatballs can also be finished in a 350º oven.
Serve as is or in pita bread as a sandwich with tzatziki sauce.

VARIATIONS

Experiment with different seasonings - coriander, cayenne, sesame seeds. Use a mixture of parsley and mint.
Greeks tend to add some breadcrumbs to the mixture and sometimes a little red wine.
Before frying, you can roll the kefta in some flour, then pat them off to help them brown.
These meatballs can also be grilled. Form the meat into a sausage shape on skewers. Oil the meat well and grill over hot coals.

NOTES

Kefta are common from Morocco throughout the Middle East, to Greece (keftedes), Armenia, and all the way to India, where they are known as kofta.

[Cerebral]

I have an Iranian friend here in Portland, OR that says most Persians in the area don't use lamb much because it smells and tastes differently than what can be found in Iran.

In any case, he took me to a great little Persian restaurant in town and, as he says it, if I'm going out for one and only one Persian dish it's kebabs.

The kebabs were made from ground beef, onion and I'm guessing a bit of garlic and some spices that I couldn't really identify. They were rolled out to about 6 inches or so and flattened slightly. Then inch-wormed onto the skewer and grilled. They were served with a shaker of a mixture of spices and sprigs of basil.

You'd sprinkle the spices on the kebab, pick a leaf of basil and consume it. He preferred to eat the kebab first then a leaf of basil. But I found wrapping my bite in a leaf of basil was more to my liking.

Anyway, if somebody has an idea of what I'm talking about and a recipe, I'd be interested to know how these are made.

Cerebral

Edit: I guess I should read the entire thread first. Chef Zee has what I'm looking for. Except I'd like to know what was in that shaker of spices hehe.