Spiced beef skewers recipe
Wander through the medina of Tripoli and you will soon smell the sizzle of beef kebabs wafting through the air as little hole-in-the-wall stalls grill up a storm throughout the day.
To get the meat super succulent you need to have a high fat content – at least 20 percent fat. These are simple to make and cook fast on a barbecue.
Rather than serve them in a wrap, plate them up on a slick of hummus – either buy your favourite or make a batch – and then top the meat with a really zesty mix of red onion, sumac and parsley.
Ingredients
For the onion- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 handful finely chopped parsley leaves
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 450 g minced beef with 20 percent fat
- 0.5 onion, grated
- 0.5 tsp allspice
- 1 handful finely chopped parsley leaves
- 0.5 tsp Lebanese 7 spice or baharat
- 1.5 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
- 25 g toasted pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 300 g hummus
- 8 flatbreads
Details
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Recipe Type: Beef skewers
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Put the sliced onion into a bowl and add the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Mix well and leave to macerate (soften) for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill or barbecue to high.
- Put all the ingredients for the kebabs into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt and mix well. Thread the meat onto flat skewers (these prevent the meat from turning when you flip them over on the barbecue) so you have a sausage shape. You should be able to make eight kebabs.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until charred and juicy.
- Add the sumac and parsley to the macerated onions and mix well.
- To serve, spread the hummus onto a serving dish. Lay the kebabs on top and pile on the onions. Serve immediately with flatbreads.
This recipe is from Saffron in the Souks by John Gregory-Smith. Published by Kyle Books, £25. Photography by Nassima Rothacker and Alan Keohane.
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