Lulya Kebab

Lulya kebab is an awesome dish. For anyone interested in the art of making kebabs, it is a must to try at least once. It is absolutely delicious , very exotic and fun to make.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time to make:12 minutes, once meat is prepared

You will need:

1lb of ground lamb (beef or pork is acceptable as well)

100 g of lamb fat( pork fat will work too)

1 onion

pinch of salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of coriander

cilantro

lemon

The most authentic and probably the best way to prepare the meat is to grind it yourself, or chop it with a really sharp knife, as it will preserve most of the meat juices. My butcher already had some ground lamb, so I went the lazy way about it :)

You have to mince a piece of fat into the tiniest little cubes that you can make

Same goes for cilantro

Next is the very important step. It will make or break your lulya kebab. You have to combine your ground meat, fat, cilantro, add coriander,cumin, salt and pepper to taste. You have to keep mixing by hand for about 7 minutes. Once you are done, shape it into a ball, and start throwing hard at the cutting board or the bottom of your mixing dish for about 5-10 minutes or so. This will start a chemical reaction that will in later steps keep your kebab attached to skewers and prevent it from falling apart and falling into charcoal, so just be patient and follow directions. Once you are done, cover your dish with foil, cut a few holes in it, and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours

This step is optional, I have used leftover cilantro, lemon and some pomegranate seeds to garnish the dish.

Slice some onions, add 1/4 cup of vinegar to it, and a little bit of dill or basil.

Fire up your grill, or preheat your oven to 375 F. I'm using a special grill, called "mangal", which is specifically designed to make kebabs. So, if you are interested in making a lot of kebabs, I strongly advise you to invest in one, with some stainless steel skewers. If you are using regular grill, you can purchase some kebab accessories for it, to make sure that your kebab doesn't touch the grill grate, otherwise it will stick to it and you won't be able to flip it over.

Prepare charcoal, when it's all lit up red and has some white ashes over it, it is time to grill.

To shape lulya kebab, make a tennis ball size round meat patty, and put it on the skewer, while holding the ball with one hand, start turning skewer with the other hand clockwise, squeezing the meat gently and spreading it over the skewer. Make sure there are no holes left and everything looks uniformed, seal the ends to prevent any juices from ripping your kebabs apart.

All right, it is time to put it on the grill. If you are using the oven, you can skip these steps, just spray your oven dish, before putting it in, it will cook for 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown in it, make sure to flip it over a few times.

Keep turning it often, do not let it burn, The fat that is in it, will make it nice and juicy, but can also start grill flare ups, so keep an eye on it, and move it out of fire spots .