Name: Persian Lamb Kebabs with Sumac
Yield: Makes 12 to 15 kebabs; serves 6 to 8 with plenty of rice
Cuisine: Iran
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; ¼ cup plain yogurt (whole-milk or 2%); Pinch of saffron threads (optional); 2 tablespoons sumac powder (or juice of 2 limes or lemons); ¼ cup melted butter, melted rendered lamb fat, or olive oil; 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional); 2 pounds boneless lean lamb, cut into thin ½- by-2-inch strips; 1 onion, grated ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation info

Makes 12 to 15 kebabs; serves
6 to 8
with plenty of rice

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Seductions of Rice

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 1998

About

These succulent grilled kebabs are half of the classic combination chelo kebab. Serve them with Special Everyday Persian Rice, or with any other rice, and a salad. Chelo kebab is often served with a raw egg on the side. Guests mix the egg into their hot rice before eating.

Onion juice makes a simple, effective marinade, particularly for lamb. Here strips of lamb are marinated in onion juice, lemon juice, and a little yogurt, then thre