Spicy Pan Kebab, kabab tabeh کباب تابه 

Living in the minus double digits for a few months by this time of the year, I miss so many things including my charcoal burning barbecue and all the goodies that get roasted and cooked on it during the summer evenings in company of good friends and lots of cool drinks!  I specially miss our kebab making rituals around it although to tell the truth my family eats red meat now, only once in two weeks or so.

If, like me, you crave kebab koobideh, and are ready to settle for a pot version of it, this post is for you.  The basic idea is the same as in original koobideh, only we spread the big meatball instead of dividing it into small balls and then skewering them. This means you will not need to worry about kebab holding on to the skewers while being roasted which means, in turn, we can play around with the ingredients.  You will note that in my new recipe for Pan kebab koobideh below, I have added lots of spices in addition to the grated tomatoes and garlic to the ground beef.  I believe with this kebab what lacks in ambiance, it definitely makes up in the taste!

Ingredients (serving 2-3)

• Fresh ground beef 450 grams (never use defrosted meat).
• Onion, 1 large, grated.
• Garlic, 2 cloves, grated
• Tomatoes, 5 medium: 1 peeled and grated; 4 cut in 6-8 slices
• Sumac, 1 tbsp.
• Dried herbs of your choice (I used parsley and tarragon) 3 tbsp.
• Turmeric and salt pepper, ½  tsp each.
• Black pepper 1 tsp.
• Saffron ¼ tsp.
• Cayenne peppers, 2-3, cut in half (optional)

Method:

Mix meat, grated onion, garlic and tomato, sumac, dry herbs, turmeric, salt and pepper and half the amount of your saffron powder. Mix well using your hand and fingers to knead. Form the mix into a big meatball.

Flatten the meat mixture across a pan so that you will have an even surface of about half an inch thick. Cut the meat mixture lengthwise into 8-10 strips then place the pan on medium heat and cook until most juice is evaporated.  You may need to use a food turner to further separate the kebab strips in the pan.

Turn all the strips then arrange tomatoes (and peppers if you sued them) around them. Sprinkle the remaining saffron on kebab. Turn the heat low and cook about 10 more minutes. At the end of the cooking/frying process your kebab should be completely cooked but not too dry.

Serve with plain rice, fresh herbs and raw onion.

Enjoy!