Kufta Kabab

Kabab, the king of all grilled meat, is a summer favorite. Lamb is mixed with garlic and parsley, grilled and served with assorted salads and veggies. With over 20 varieties, this is the most popular one in Syria. Simple, smoky, authentic and sublime!

Ingredients

1 pound ground/minced lamb (or beef)

2 gloves mashed garlic

1 cup chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon paprika.

1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

1 teaspoon salt.

some oil for grilling (or non-stick spray)

12 metal skewers (or soaked wooden ones)

Directions

1. Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Using coal or wood is more authentic.

2. Mix together all ingredients (except for oil).

3. Form the mixture into 10-12 balls. Place each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch slim oval, then press gently on it to make it stick on skewer. Make dents on kabab as in picture. Repeat with the remaining skewers. (this step might be tricky at first but should get easier with your third skewer!). You can dampen you hand with some water so the meat mixture won’t stick on it.

4. Lightly oil grate.

5. Grill kabab until brown outside to your preferred doneness. Syrians meat is always well-done but moist. Turn occasionally, about 5 minutes on each side.

6. Place done kababs in between two flat bread loaves and keep in a closed container to keep warm. People love this bread as it gets soaked with juices from kabab.

7. Serve right away with hummus, Beewaz (parsley salad), assorted grilled vegetables (tomatoes, onion and green pepper) and Syrian Everyday Salad.

Makes 10-12 skewers

Source: SYRIAN COOKING