Chelo Kabob Koobideh

For my first attempt to veganize a steadfastly un-veganizeable Persian dish, I needed to tackle the national dish of Persians: Chelo Kabob. When Persians go out to eat, the place to go is a chelo kabob restaurant. For outdoor celebrations, Persians barbeque kabob and wrap with warn naan. 13-bedar, for example, is one of those occasions, where Persians stream into the local park en masse 13 days after Persian New Year (Norooz, or "New Day") and make kabob.

I can typically find something vegan on every restaurant menu (even the loathed steakhouse has a vegetable entree), but always forced to eat white rice and salad whenever I end up at the chelo kabob resaurant.

With Norooz quickly approaching, just five days until the first day of Spring (!), this is one feat I needed to conquer.

I made a simple Chelo with Tahdig (see previous post), along with kabob and Salad Shirazi.

Vegan Kabob Koobideh

1 package Gimme Lean Sausage
1 medium onion, grated very finely or blended
2 cloves garlic,minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
2 tablespoons sumac
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 squeeze of lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Mixing with your hands is the best method. Form into small, flat patties. Refrigerate for one hour or more, best if overnight.

The Gimme Lean has zero fat, but we decided to try it on a Foreman grill. It turned out good, but a tad dry. I would suggest brushing with olive oil to keep the meat moist. Serve covered with pita or lavash bread to keep warm. We used whole wheat Afghan barbari because that's what the store downstairs had.



After refrigerating the patties overnight, my partner in crime made them for lunch the next day by browning them in grapeseed oil. The results: delicious! The flavors had time to marinate overnight, and the extra oil helped to keep the kabob koobideh moist and flavorful. I recommend this method of cooking, rationalizing that you are cutting A LOT of fat and toxins by veganizing koobideh in the first place.

Here it is cooking:



And plated with rice:





Salad Shirazi

3 Persian cucumbers, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
1 half yellow onion, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)

Mix together for an incredible, accompanying salad to your chelo kabob. This salad is refreshing and tasty, and goes well especially with rice dishes or topping a sandwich.

Tahdig Tutorial

Persians notoriusly fight over the "tahdig" or the crispy yumminess that forms at the bottom of the steamed "polo" or rice. I've had my last piece of tahdig, saving to the end to savor as my last bite, shamelessly swiped from my plate while I was distracted or just too full to be able to react. It is, hands down, the best of part of the Persian meal, where the crispy crust absorbs the flavors of the stews or "khoresht" or enjoying the fried, rice crust plain.

There are three known ways of making tahdig: rice, bread (lahvash or pita), or with thinly sliced potatoes. The method below uses a rice crust, but is the basis for all three and can be modified based on your preference.

A note about Persian polo or "chelo." If you are going to make it, you WILL judged by how good it is. Like making tea, a girl will never be married off unless she knows how to make a good chelo. A Persian grandmother once grabbed a full serving platter of rice and threw it in the garbage after only one bite, declaring that "it was unfit to eat." The rice was fine, but it wasn't basmati and a few grains crumbled. Nonetheless, the hours worth of preparation followed the rice into the trash can.

Use good basmati rice, from a middle eastern or indian market. Pari is popular and is sold in many supermarkets now. Pheel Neshan (with a picture of an elephant) is recommended by my Persian grandmother, and she will use Royal Basmati rice if Pheel Neshan isn't available. It is fragrant and flavorful, essential to Persian chelo.

1 cup of rice is about right for two people. Wash the rice three or four times with warm water until the water is more or less clear. Persian grandmothers soak the rice for at least 30 minutes or so, usually while they are preparing either kabob or the stew (khoresht). Bring a large pot of water to boil(with a dash of salt, some oil, and for Shirazis a squeeze of lime), and par-boil the rice until halfway cooked. Drain the rice in a colander.

Cover the bottom of your quart-size pot with oil and heat slightly. Dissolve a pinch or two of ground saffron (the threads work too, but the ground saffron dissolves completely) in a tablespoon of warm water. Add the saffron water to the warmed oil and swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan with saffron color and oil mixture (including an inch up to the side of the pot). Heat oil until the water begins to pop and oil slightly smokes. Add a thick layer of the par-boiled rice, patting it down slightly so that you create a loose cake of rice. Let the oil cook the rice for 60 seconds or so, and then add the rest of the rice. Cover the pot with either a light rag or a few layers of a paper towels to help seal the lid of the pot. Cover with a tight lid. Cook the rice on medium to low flame for about 20 minutes.

The 20 minutes cook time is such a guesstimate. I know my rice is cooked in two ways. Moisten your finger and press quickly against the side of the pot. If it goes "GEEZ" then the pot is hot enough where the tahdig can form. You should be able to smell the fragrant basmati rice at this point. Before it begins to burn, I might stick a fork through the middle of the rice to see if the crusty rice has formed.

When ready, flip over the chelo in all its glory on your plate and serve with vegan kabob (I know you have been waiting for it! Coming up next!) or your favorite khoresht. Just make sure your little, greedy brother doesn't steal your tahdig ration of your plate as you are stuffing your face with yummy rice and fesenjoon.

NOOSHEH JAN!

Spicy Kale Tomato Sauce with Brown Rice Pasta

I got some lovely Red Russian Kale from the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market and was inspired to use my kale in a spicy tomato sauce. Any jarred tomato sauce will do and you can add layers of flavor with sauteed onions, garlic, extra herbs (I used dried basil and oregano), and fresh tomatoes. For protein, I added a can of white cannellini beans, which is another current obsession. I happen to LOVE spicy tomato sauce so added almost a 1 teaspoon of red chile flakes. I added the kale at the end after letting the sauce simmer for a good 10 minutes, so I didn't cook all the nutritional value out of the kale. As an added bonus, I purchased the kale two weeks ago, but it was still fresh when I was ready to use it. My pasta was served over brown rice pasta tubes (which were suprisingly good and pasta-like).