Chelow kabab

Ingredients

Chelow (steamed rice)

• 500 gaged Iranian or basmati rice, rinsed 5 times and soaked 2 hours in salted water
• 3 litreswater
• 3 tbspsalt
• 80 gbutter
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• ½ tspsaffron threads, ground and steeped in 60 ml hot water
• 2 tbspplain yoghurt (for the tahdig)

Kabab koobideh

• 600 glamb shoulder, minced twice with 200 g lamb fat
• 1large onion, grated and squeezed dry in a cloth
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• ½ tspground turmeric
• ½ tspsaffron water

To serve

• 4tomatoes, halved
• 40 gbutter, for the rice
• sumac, in a shaker
• 4egg yolks (optional, one per plate)
• sabzi khordan: mint, basil, tarragon, radish, spring onion
• doogh (salted yoghurt drink)

Directions

1. Mix the minced lamb with the grated onion, salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron water and knead hard with wet hands for a full 10 minutes, until the mixture is sticky, pale and pulls in a sheet from the bowl. Chill 3 hours.
2. Bring the salted water to a hard boil, drain the soaked rice and boil it for 6–8 minutes until the grains are soft on the outside but still firm at the core when bitten. Drain and rinse briefly with tepid water.
3. Mix the yoghurt, oil, 2 tbsp saffron water and a ladle of the parboiled rice, and spread this over the base of a heavy non-stick pot for the tahdig.
4. Mound the remaining rice on top in a pyramid, poke five holes down to the base with a spoon handle, dot with butter, wrap the lid in a tea towel and steam on very low heat for 45–50 minutes.
5. Meanwhile mould the chilled meat onto flat, wide metal skewers with a wet hand, squeezing it into a 25 cm strip and pressing ridges every 3 cm with your fingers. The ridges are what keep it on the skewer.
6. Skewer the tomatoes separately. Grill everything over hot charcoal, koobideh first, turning constantly for 4–6 minutes so it never rests still and never drips.
7. The kabab is done when it is browned outside, just cooked through, and still hangs on the skewer. Slide it off with a piece of flatbread.
8. Fluff the chelow, mixing a few spoonfuls with the remaining saffron water and returning them as a golden crown over the white rice. Add a knob of butter.
9. Plate rice with a raw egg yolk in a shell on top if you like, lay the kababs alongside with a grilled tomato, and offer sumac to shake over the rice. Break the tahdig out and serve it in pieces.

Technique

• Chelow kabab is the national dish of Iran and the two halves are equal: the rice must be separate-grained and steamed, never boiled to death, and the kabab must be charcoal-grilled.
• Kneading the koobideh for ten minutes is not optional. Under-kneaded meat has no protein bind and falls off the skewer into the coals.
• Wide flat skewers, at least 2.5 cm across, are essential. Round barbecue skewers will not hold koobideh.
• Turn the skewers continuously and never let the meat sit over a flare-up; dripping fat causes the flames that dry it out.

Substitutions

• No charcoal: cook koobideh on a very hot ridged grill pan formed into flat ovals, or under an overhead grill on a rack, though the smoke flavour is lost.
• No lamb fat: ask for 25 percent fat lamb mince and add nothing else. Lean mince cannot make koobideh.
• Iranian rice can be replaced by good aged basmati, soaked and salted the same way.

Variations

• Kabab barg is the flat marinated fillet version, made from lamb or beef in saffron, onion juice and lime.
• Jujeh kabab is saffron and lime marinated chicken, served the same way with chelow.
• Soltani, sultan’s kabab, is one skewer of each served together.

History

Iran’s national dish, pairing saffron-buttered rice with skewered lamb and a grilled tomato; kabab houses spread through Qajar-era Tehran.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chelow kabab?

Chelow kabab is a main from Iran: saffron buttered rice with charcoal kababs and grilled tomato; national dish. Iran’s national dish, pairing saffron-buttered rice with skewered lamb and a grilled tomato; kabab houses spread through Qajar-era Tehran.

How long does Chelow kabab take to make?

Chelow kabab takes 40 min of preparation and 3 hr marinating + 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Chelow kabab?

Yes, within limits. No charcoal: cook koobideh on a very hot ridged grill pan formed into flat ovals, or under an overhead grill on a rack, though the smoke flavour is lost. No lamb fat: ask for 25 percent fat lamb mince and add nothing else. Lean mince cannot make koobideh. Iranian rice can be replaced by good aged basmati, soaked and salted the same way.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chelow kabab?

Skewer the tomatoes separately. Grill everything over hot charcoal, koobideh first, turning constantly for 4–6 minutes so it never rests still and never drips.