Chelow Kabab

The skewer is laid on the rice and pulled out from under a piece of flatbread held on top of it.

Beef, Lamb. Not vegetarian — contains beef, lamb.

Ingredients

• 500 g long-grain white rice, steamed in the Persian way
• 4 skewers of Kabab Koobideh, as on its own page, or Kabab Barg, as on its own page
• 60 g butter, in 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoons sumac
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 onions, in thick rings
• a bunch of basil and 8 radishes
• 4 sheets thin flatbread

Method

1. THE SKEWER IS LAID ON THE RICE AND PULLED OUT FROM UNDER A PIECE OF FLATBREAD HELD ON TOP OF IT. This is the dish, and its article describes it as the old bazaar practice: the rice and the accompaniments come out first, the skewers follow immediately, and a skewer is put down directly onto the rice, a piece of flatbread is pressed down on the meat to hold it, and the skewer is pulled out quickly from underneath. The meat ends up lying on the rice in one piece, untouched by a fork, and the bread has taken the fat from the skewer. Lifted off with tongs instead, a minced kebab breaks into four.
2. IT IS NOT A KEBAB RECIPE. It is the plate, and the components are written separately: Kabab Koobideh, as on its own page, Kabab Barg, as on its own page, and Jujeh Kabab, as on its own page. Its article lists those three plus two combinations -- soltani, meaning in the style of a sultan, which is one strip and one minced skewer, and shah abbasi, which adds the chicken.
3. THE BUTTER GOES ON THE HOT RICE AND IS NOT STIRRED IN. A knob dropped on each portion the moment it is served, so it melts down through and is still visible. Its article names butter as a characteristic accompaniment along with the sumac and the grilled tomatoes.
4. THE SUMAC IS SHAKEN OVER THE RICE, NOT THE MEAT. Its article says sumac is frequently sprinkled over the rice to give a tart flavour. It is there to make plain steamed rice interesting next to fatty meat, so it goes where the rice is, and generously -- a good half teaspoon a plate.
5. THE TOMATOES ARE GRILLED UNTIL THE SKINS SPLIT AND BLACKEN. Whole, on their own skewers, over the same coals, turned until collapsing. They are squashed into the rice at the table and their juice is part of the seasoning.
6. THE RICE IS STEAMED, SOAKED AND DRAINED, NOT BOILED DRY. Rinsed clear, two hours in cold salted water, parboiled six to eight minutes to a chalky centre, drained, then heaped and steamed under a cloth-wrapped lid for forty-five minutes on the lowest heat. Separate grains are what the butter and sumac need; a sticky rice turns the whole plate into one texture.
7. A PLATTER OF RAW HERBS AND A YOGURT DRINK ARE PART OF THE MEAL. Its article names a platter of fresh herbs and radishes, and a chilled savoury yogurt drink seasoned with dried mint and often carbonated, as the characteristic partners -- both there to balance the protein and fat. Each has its own page on this site.
8. IT IS THE NATIONAL DISH AND IT IS SERVED TO GUESTS. Its article says both: it is considered Iran's national dish, probably created under the Qajars, and it is the centrepiece for celebrations, family gatherings and honouring a visitor.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Iran · All recipes