Tass Kebab
Տաս քաբաբ
The Suburban Kebab (Quick Weeknight Dinners)
If you grew up Armenian-American in the suburban Midwest, you know 'kebab' doesn't just mean meat on a stick. Tass Kebab, literally 'bowl kebab,' is an ingenious feat of domestic engineering where meat and grated onions are packed into a glass bowl, inverted in a pot, and weighted down. It creates a localized pressure chamber that forces the sweet, intoxicating vapor of allspice and cinnamon deep into the beef. Fifteen minutes of active prep, and then you walk away. When you finally lift that heavy bowl at the table, the fragrant cloud of steam that escapes is pure, unadulterated home.
Ingredients
- beef chuck roast2 lb
- yellow onions2 large
- tomato paste3 tbsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- ground allspice1/2 tsp
- ground cinnamon1/4 tsp
- bay leaf1 large
- hot water or beef broth1 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the meat and aromatics in a large mixing bowl.
Aggressively mix the cubed beef, grated onions, tomato paste, salt, pepper, allspice, and cinnamon with your hands until every piece of meat is heavily coated.
- 02
Pack the bowl tightly.
Transfer the entire meat mixture into a heat-safe glass or metal bowl, packing it down firmly. Top the packed meat with the bay leaf and small cubes of butter.
- 03
Invert the bowl into a heavy pot.
Place a wide Dutch oven upside down over the bowl. Holding them tightly together, swiftly flip the whole apparatus over so the bowl sits upside down in the middle of the empty pot.
- 04
Weight the bowl and add liquid.
Place a heavy object, like a stone mortar, on top of the inverted bowl to prevent it from floating. Pour the hot water into the pot, surrounding the outside of the bowl.
- 05
Simmer undisturbed and walk away.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately drop to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- 06
Reveal at the table.
Turn off the heat and carefully remove the heavy weight. Bring the whole pot to the dining table, then use two forks or a towel to lift the hot bowl straight up, releasing the fragrant steam and rich gravy.
Notes
The weeknight pressure cooker cheat.
If two hours of simmering isn't possible today, ditch the glass bowl. Sauté the meat and onions in an electric pressure cooker for five minutes, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
Grate, don't chop, the onions.
Grating the onions is a crucial textural secret. They melt entirely into the sauce during the long braise, acting as a natural thickener and providing a deep, sweet caramelized backbone.
From Cook Armenian in America.