Kabab Koobideh with Saffron Rice

What you’ll need

Ingredients

Ingredient amounts make 4 servings. Nutrition below is for one serving.

• 600 g Raw minced beef, about 15% fat
• 200 g Onion, finely grated and squeezed dry
• 300 g Dry basmati rice
• 400 g Tomatoes, halved
• 10 g Butter
• 0.15 g Ground saffron
• 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Salt, or less to taste
• Water for soaking and cooking rice

Make it

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the rice and soak for 30 minutes. Bloom the saffron in 30 ml hot water. Line a tray for the shaped kebabs.

2. 2

   Mix the cold minced beef with the squeezed onion, pepper and half the salt. Knead for 5–7 minutes until sticky, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes; do not leave raw meat at room temperature.

3. 3

   Boil the drained rice in plenty of water with the remaining salt for 5–7 minutes, until partly cooked. Drain, return to the pot with butter and 40 ml water, cover and steam on very low heat for 30–35 minutes.

4. 4

   Divide the meat into eight equal portions and press firmly onto wide flat metal skewers, sealing the ends and making shallow finger ridges. Alternatively, shape eight flat strips for a hot non-stick grill pan without adding oil.

5. 5

   Grill over medium-high heat, turning carefully and frequently at first, for about 10–14 minutes. Cook the centre of every kebab to at least 71°C; grill marks alone do not confirm safety.

6. 6

   Grill the tomatoes alongside until softened. Mix a little cooked rice with saffron water and divide all rice, tomatoes and eight kebabs between four plates.