Kabab Tabei
کباب تابه ای·(ka-bob ta-bay-ee)
What Maman Packed: The Nostalgic Lunchbox
Growing up in the Midwest, the cafeteria was a battleground of assimilation. While the other kids unpacked sad bologna sandwiches, you unsnapped a thermos to the room-clearing, intoxicating aroma of charred meat and sumac. Kabab Tabei is the genius homestyle hack for when you crave the smoky perfection of a charbroiled restaurant koobideh, but it's a Tuesday night in Ohio and you don't have a charcoal grill. The secret? Squeeze the absolute hell out of your grated onions. Do that, and you get magic in a single pan.
Before you start
Grate and squeeze the onion.
Using the medium holes of a box grater, grate the onion into a bowl, then grab the pulp and squeeze it over the sink as hard as you can to completely discard the watery juice.
Ingredients
- yellow onion1 med
- 80/20 ground beef1/2 lb
- ground lamb1/2 lb
- ground turmeric1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- sumac1 tbsp
- butter1 tbsp
- olive oil1 tbsp
- Roma tomatoes3 med
- Anaheim peppers2 med
- brewed liquid saffron1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Knead the meat with the dry onion pulp and spices.
Add the ground beef, ground lamb, turmeric, salt, pepper, and half the sumac to the bowl with your dry onion pulp, and forcefully knead by hand for five solid minutes until it becomes a sticky, cohesive paste.
- 02
Press the meat into a cold skillet.
Coat a large non-stick pan with the olive oil, place your meat in the center, and press it out evenly until it covers the entire bottom edge to edge, about half an inch thick.
- 03
Score the meat into kebab strips.
Using the side of a wooden spatula, score the giant patty deeply into vertical strips about two inches wide, then turn the heat to medium-high.
- 04
Sear until a deep crust forms.
Let the meat cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom is heavily browned and the strips shrink and separate.
- 05
Flip and blister the vegetables.
Carefully flip each strip, nestle the butter, tomatoes, and peppers into the empty spaces, and drizzle with the brewed saffron if using.
- 06
Finish cooking and garnish generously with sumac.
Lower the heat to medium, let the other side sear for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and blister, then turn off the heat, sprinkle with the remaining sumac, and serve immediately.
Notes
Respect the onion juice rule.
Onions are mostly water. If you dump raw, unsqueezed onion pulp into the pan, your meat will boil into a grey, falling-apart mess instead of searing into a proper kebab.
The saucy variation.
For a softer kebab that makes a killer gravy for next-day leftovers, whisk a tablespoon of tomato paste with a half cup of warm water and a squeeze of lemon. Pour it into the pan after you flip the meat, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
From Cook Persian in America.