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Beef and Lamb Kababs - Persian style
(Kabab-e Koobideh)
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*****Ingredients*****
1 lb ground beef, no more than 50% lean you want some fat
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg
1 medium to large onion grated
1 tblsp turmeric powder
1 tblsp cumin
1/2 tblsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
*****Preparation*****
In a large non-reactive bowl mix ground beef and lamb well with your hands. Grate onion the bowl to capture onion pieces and juice, then add all remaining ingredients. Mix well with your hands. The beef and lamb mixture should take on a slight orange color from the turmeric powder when completely incorporated.
Cover the mixture and place in refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
To form the kabab patties, you will need to have a small bowl of water so that you can wet your hands before forming each pattie. Wet your hands and gather up a ball of the mixture in your wetted hands. The ball should be about twice the size of a golf ball. Set the ball in one hand and press down with the other, use your fingers to press out the pattie. The pattie should roughly be the size of your hand and look like an elongated thin hamburger pattie about a 1/2 inch thick by 3 inches wide by about 6 inches long depending on how big your hands are. Place the kabab patties on a plate for grilling. Be sure to rewet your hands between each pattie or as needed.
Heat your grill to medium high heat; the grill should be hot before you begin. When grilling kababs, you want the meat to cook fairly quickly. Each side should take about 4 to 6 minutes depending on the heat of your grill. Use a long handled spatula to turn the kababs. A good tip that I learned is to look for small puddles of fat that will form on top of the kabab when it is ready. You should see nice grill marks on each side of the kabab.
Serve with Persian rice, grilled tomatoes, Persian salad and Mast-o-Khiar (Yogurt with Cucumbers and Garlic).