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Kabab bonab
Minced lamb kebab
کباب بناب (kabab bonab): Azerbaijan's wide, juicy minced lamb and onion kebab
The town of Bonab in East Azerbaijan gave its name to this kebab, which is longer, wider and juicier than koobideh, and Tabriz kebab houses still serve it at lunchtime with whole grilled tomatoes and a bowl of buttery rice. Coarsely minced lamb with plenty of grated onion is kneaded until sticky, pressed onto very wide skewers and grilled quickly over coals. Serve it with chelow or lavash, raw onion and sumac. The common failure is mince that is too lean, which falls off the skewer; you need about 25% fat. Chef's tip: knead the mince for a full 5 minutes and chill it for 30 minutes before shaping; that is what makes it cling to the skewer.
- Total time
- 52 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb lamb mince, coarsely groundabout 25% fat
- 1 onionlarge, grated and squeezed very dry
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tomatoesfor grilling
- 1 tsp ground sumac (optional)to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb lamb mince, coarsely ground, 1 onion, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp ground turmeric in a bowl and knead with your hands for 5 minutes, until the mince is sticky and pale.
5 minStep 2: Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Heat a charcoal grill or a heavy griddle until very hot. With wet hands, press a quarter of the mince along each wide flat skewer (or shape into long flat oblongs 2 cm thick), pinching ridges along the top with your fingers.
10 minStep 4: Grill for 4–5 minutes on each side, turning carefully, until well browned and the centre reaches 160°F, with no pink juices. Grill 4 tomatoes alongside.
10 minStep 5: Serve with the tomatoes, rice or lavash (not gluten free) and a sprinkle of 1 tsp ground sumac.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 37 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kabab bonab take?
- About 52 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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