Iranian Shish Kebabs Recipes

PERSIAN SHISH KABOB

Steps:

• Cut beef into cubes 1x1/2 inch. Add to a medium mixing bowl along with the onion, salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat grill for high heat.
• Thread beef on skewers, 6 to 8 pieces per skewer.
• Lightly oil grate, and place kebobs on grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, 12 to 16 minutes in all.

INDIAN STYLE SHEEKH KABAB

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix ground lamb, onions, mint, cilantro, ginger paste, and chile paste. Season with cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Mold handfuls of the lamb mixture, about 1 cup, to form sausages around skewers. Make sure the meat is spread to an even thickness. Refrigerate until you are ready to grill.
• Preheat grill for high heat.
• Brush grate liberally with oil, and arrange kabobs on grill. Cook for 10 minutes, or until well done, turning as needed to brown evenly.

ARMENIAN SHISH KABOB

Steps:

• Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, wine, and garlic; season with salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf. Toss lamb with marinade until evenly combined, then pour into a resealable plastic bag, and marinate in refrigerator at least 24 hours.
• Position oven rack to its top setting and set oven to broil.
• Remove lamb from marinade and thread onto metal skewers; reserve marinade. Thread onion wedges, green peppers, and mushrooms onto separate metal skewers. Brush vegetables with reserved marinade.
• Broil the skewers on a broiler pan, turning frequently. Cook onions for 12 minutes, lamb for 10 minutes, green pepper for 7 minutes, and the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool until cool enough to handle.
• Remove skewers from ingredients and set aside. Reassemble skewers, alternating lamb, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Place onto broiler pan and brush again with marinade. Discard remaining marinade.
• Broil skewers again to finish cooking, turning frequently until the lamb is medium-rare and the vegetables begin to blacken in spots, 5 to 7 minutes.

THE BEST SHISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Soak the skewers in water for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight. Pat them dry and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk the vinegar, scallions, Dijon, garlic, sugar, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.
• Put the beef pieces, bell peppers, onions and zucchini in a large resealable plastic bag. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade and pour the rest into the bag and seal. Toss the bag so the meat and vegetables are well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• Thread the meat and vegetables onto a skewer in the following order: beef, zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper and onion. Repeat the threading three more times, ending with a piece of beef (there should be 5 pieces of beef and 4 pieces of each vegetable on the skewer). Repeat with the remaining skewers and ingredients.
• Sprinkle the kebabs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill at an angle, uncovered, until deep char marks form and the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the skewers and continue cooking until the beef has reached an internal temperature of 125 degrees F when measured with an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and brush the kebabs with the reserved 1/4 cup marinade. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

IRANIAN SHISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes.
• Place in a mixing bowl together with the onion, allspice, salt, black pepper, and lime juice.
• Mix well then cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
• Thread the beef onto barbecue skewers, along with chef's choice of veggies and/or fruit, and cook over hot coals for 15 minutes turning 3 or 4 times and basting with any remaining marinade throughout cooking.
• Serve hot.

PERSIAN BEEF KEBABS

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat from the steaks, cut into 1-inch cubes, and place in a large nonreactive bowl.
• Place onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper, and saffron or cumin, in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour mixture over meat, toss to coat, cover and marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
• When ready to cook, heat grill to medium heat (350 degrees F) and oil well. Thread meat on skewers, leaving at least 1/2-inch space between each piece of meat. In a small bowl and the tomatoes, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat thoroughly. Place meat and tomatoes on grill. Cook meat, turning once, until charred and medium-rare, about 7 to 10 minutes. Cook tomatoes, turning rarely, until blistered and soft, about 10 minutes.
• Remove meat from skewers and have guests assemble their own sandwiches with meat, tomatoes, lavash, yogurt, and cilantro.

KABOB KOOBIDEH (PERSIAN GROUND MEAT KABOBS)

Steps:

• Shave onions with a grater into a fine mesh strainer. Gently press pulp into the strainer to remove juices. Place pulp into the center of the cheesecloth and gently press until no further juice drips out.
• Place lamb and beef in a pot. Add green onion and onion pulp; mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in baking powder, salt, pepper, sumac, and turmeric. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Cover the pot and place in the refrigerator until flavors have melded, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Mold meat mixture onto the skewers.
• Cook on the preheated grill, rotating every minute, until nicely browned on all sides, and meat is no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes.

ARMENIAN SHISH KEBAB

Steps:

• Place lamb in a large container with a cover.
• In a medium bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, wine, bay leaf, salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary.
• Pour marinade over lamb cubes, stir thoroughly, and refrigerate,covered, at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
• About 1 hour before serving time, preheat broiler.
• Drain lamb kebabs, reserving marinade.
• Thread separate skewers of lamb, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms and place on a broiling tray.
• Baste vegetables with some of reserved marinade.
• Broil about 4 inches from heat, turning frequently, as follows: green pepper, about 7 minutes; onions, about 12 minutes; mushrooms, about 3 minutes.
• Remove skewers and allow to cool slightly, until ingredients and skewers can be handled.
• Leave broiler on.
• Remove skewers from ingredients and rethread 4 or 8 skewers (depending on size of skewers) so that each one includes, in alternating pieces, some lamb, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and tomato.
• Baste again with any remaining marinade.
• Return skewers to broiler and, turning frequently, broil until meat is reheated and cooked medium-rare, vegetables are slightly blackened in spots, and tomatoes are very tender but not yet falling off skewers (5 to 7 minutes more).
• Serve with Rice Pilaf and Pita Bread.

CLASSIC BEEF SHISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Combine 2 teaspoons oil, rosemary, and garlic in a large zip-top bag. Add beef; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
• Remove beef from bag; discard marinade. Thread beef evenly onto 6 wooden skewers; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Combine remaining 1 teaspoon oil and juice in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms, tossing to coat.
• Thread each vegetable separately onto skewers; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Place beef and vegetable kebabs on the barbecue coated with cooking spray. Grill onion and pepper kebabs 10 minutes. Grill beef kebabs 9 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Grill tomato and mushroom kebabs 7 minutes.

JUJEH KABOB (PERSIAN CHICKEN KABOBS)

Steps:

• Combine onion, lime juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and saffron in a large glass bowl. Mix in olive oil. Press chicken into the bowl lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Let marinate for 6 hours to overnight, mixing every few hours to make sure chicken is coated.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the bowl, shake off excess marinade, and discard marinade left in the bowl. Place chicken onto metal skewers, making sure it's not too tightly packed.
• Cook skewers on the preheated grill until chicken is browned and no longer pink in the center, turning as needed, 10 to 15 minutes total.