Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Kefta Kebabs (Middle Eastern Ground Meat Kebabs)

Kefta Kebabs 1
So you'd figure that since lil' sis likes meat, she'd like kebabs right? Well, not kefta (ground meat) kebabs because there's parsley and spices and she doesn't like spices. You see what I have to deal with here? Kefta kebabs are Middle Eastern in origin, yet each country has their own variation. According to Global Gourmet, for instance, Turkish kefta kebabs have rice, cinnamon, and all-spice; Kuwaitis add an egg, garlic, and thyme; and Egyptians add rice flour and cumin. Kefta Kebabs (Middle Eastern Ground Meat Kebabs) Adapted from Guilty Carnivore For 4 kebabs, you'll need: About 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef 1 small bunch of parsley, minced (about 1/2 cup) A few sprigs of cilantro, minced 1 small onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 slice of bread, or about 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground black pepper I'm assuming you know to wash the greens and peel the onion and garlic. :P In a food processor, grind 1 small onion, small bunch of parsley, a few sprigs of cilantro, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 slice of bread or 1/4 cup bread crumbs until finely minced. Dump mixture into bowl of ground beef, add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin and mix by hand until blended. Section the mixture into four parts. Shape each section into a long "sausage"-like shape. Then insert skewers through the center.
Kefta Kebabs 2
Grill. Serve with albalu polow (Persian sour cherry rice) or zafarani polow (Persian saffron rice).
Kefta Kebabs 3
Enjoy! Who else made kefta kebabs? I adapted this recipe from Guilty Carnivore's recipe.

8 comments:

  1. Oh la la, these would make my day! I LOVE them!

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  2. I love all the spices in those kebabs. YUM!

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  3. Anh,
    I do too! Especially because of the parsley! :)

    EMWK,
    You can sneak greens in to feed your girls this way! :)

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  4. This and the rice is going on the menu this week. Yum!

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  5. give me one of the kebabs any day!

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  6. Amy,
    I bet yours will look even nicer!

    Daphne,
    Here you go! ;)

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  7. You are one of the most adventurous cooks I know!

    Home now, sorry we couldn't connect in LA. Ended up eating at CPK at the airport. Not bad, but its no J-town ramen.

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  8. Jaden,
    You made dukkah, I've never made that! Glad you made it home OK! I was gonna take you out for Korean BBQ. :)

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