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.

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).

Khoreshteh Fesenjoon with Tofu (Walnut and Pomegranate Stew)

Fesenjoon is one of the best loved Persian dishes and absolutely my favorite of all Persian khoresht (stews served over rice). Persian families like to serve this savory combination of sweet and tart during the winter months, especially for the Shab-e-Yalda celebration of the winter equinox. On this special night, Persians gather to celebrate the longest night of the year by eating anar (pomegranate) and ajeel (mixed nuts and dried fruits). The celebration traces its roots to the Zoroastrian faith that commemorated the victory of light/the Sun over the evils of darkness. The Romans later adopted this Persian tradition into a festival honoring the god of Saturn. With the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the Romans adopted Dec. 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ to coincide with the Roman tradition celebrating the winter equinox.

Alas, the anthropological history of food helps us trace much of our known culture today. I invite you to try something new and expose your taste buds to something unique and really tasty.

Next up: How to make PERFECT basmati rice with a bonus tahdig tutorial.

P.S. To my surprise, theppk.com had this recipe posted already. Since I am not one to measure, I am posting the PPK version as a real recipe to follow.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup pomegranate concentrate
Optional: 1/4 cup water, cane sugar to taste
1/2 cup ground walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. extra firm tofu


Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the first skillet along with half of the chopped onions over medium heat. Add the 1/2 c. of walnuts ground very fine. (My grandmother uses a food processor to grind the walnuts, but you can grind them with a heavy object as well. They should be ground almost to a paste consistency). Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft. There should be a very distinct, walnut-y smell, but make sure it doesn’t start to burn.

Add the pomegranate concentrate, cane sugar and the optional 1/4 cup of water if it seems a little overwhelmingly pomegranate-y. But remember it should be very tart as the flavors will mellow out with the walnuts!

Simmer the sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes, letting it get nice and thick. The color of the sauce should be a very deep earth brown and almost purple.

In skillet #2, heat another tbsp of olive oil with the remaining onions. Drain extra liquid out of the tofu and crumble it into the skillet in chunks (tofu scramble-style). Let cook, stirring frequently until the water has cooked out of the tofu and it begins to brown. Stir the tofu mixture into the first skillet.

Serve over basmati rice.