Ingredients
Lamb Kebabs:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 3 quarter-size slices ginger
- 2 large cloves garlic or 4 small
- 2 medium shallots
- Zest of 1 lemon, and separately, its juice
- 4 sprigs fresh mint
- Handful fresh cilantro
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, optional
- Lots of freshly ground pepper
- Oil, for drizzling
Cucumber Raita:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 1 large English cucumber, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Special equipment: Food processor if you have it, 8 bamboo skewers, stovetop griddle or big nonstick pan or outside grill
For the lamb: Bring the lamb to room temperature. If you're going to cook your kebabs on the grill, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don't burn.
Grab your food processor. You can chop all this by hand too; just make sure to chop it all up very finely.
Throw the ginger, garlic, shallots, lemon zest, mint, cilantro and salt into the processor. Grind until very finely chopped.
Throw the lamb into a big bowl. Add the shallot mixture, 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, baking soda, garam masala if using and pepper to the meat. Using your hands, knead 2 to 5 minutes until the meat lightens in color, taking on the appearance of knitted fabric. It will also be very sticky. Perfect!
Divide the meat in half, then in half again and then half again, until you have 8 mounds.
Have a platter ready for your completed kebabs. Drizzle a little oil on the platter so the kebabs don't stick.
Have your bamboo skewers standing by. Take one ball of meat and roll it into a short stump. Thread the skewer through it, and then begin shaping the kebab with quick strokes, pulling the meat down. It should be a little over 1/4-inch thick. Roll the kebab between your hands to seal the meat. Repeat.
Preheat a griddle over medium heat, drizzling oil over it, so that when it starts to smoke, you'll know it's ready. Meanwhile, mix the juice of half the lemon with the remaining 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses in a small bowl.
When it's hot, place the skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn a quarter of the way. Brush with the lemon-molasses glaze and cook another 2 minutes. Continue in this way until you've cooked the meat 8 to 10 minutes.
For the raita: Mix the yogurt, mint, cucumber and garlic together. Season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the kebabs.
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By diannecowan_123...
Annapolis, 60
on February 10, 2012
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I adore this recipe and make it over and over again. Just a hint of sweetness with aromatic herbs and spices - yu-um! I agree with previous reviewers that the raita is much too wet, but draining the cucumber in a strainer or squeezing it in a towel before mixing with the yogurt is will take care of that.
Also, I find that the pomegranate-lemon glaze is vastly improved by just a teensy pinch of salt.
One more thing. You absolutely MUST add the baking soda, as Aarti said on the show. It is not optional. It reacts with the acids in the pomegranate molasses to produce bubbles that lighten the mixture up, and the soda also neutralizes the acids that make things taste sour.
By rjmabery
Walkersville MD
on January 23, 2012
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First, I have to say I love Indian, Middle Eastern and North African cuisines and all of the ingredients were things I was familiar with, with the exception of the pomegranate molasses.
Ifollowed the recipe very closely with the exception of the baking soda, which was inadvertently ommitted. Finally, I made burgers and not skewers and fried them on a griddle, as was suggested as an alternative to grilling, as it January and snowing.
The patties were almost inedible. I have no idea what was so distasteful, but the lemon zest/juice made them a little sour and the "fabric-like consistency" was off-putting. I LOVE lamb koeftes, which have a similar flavor profile, so I don't understand what was off, but it was so bad, that our dog sniffed the leftovers and walked away. And as another reviewer had mentioned the raita was a soupy mess.
By Bryn Milks
Burlington, VT
on November 09, 2011
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This was excellent. Even my picky six year old cleaned her plate. I have two suggestions:
1 after separating meat into 8 pieces refrigerate for a while, the room temp meat mix was very soft and hard to work with. 2 The raita per instructions was very soupy. Remove some water from the grated cucumber by leaving in a strainer for a while or squeezing in paper towels before adding to other ingredients. This recipe has a home in our family cookbook.
- A note for leftovers: Add chopped mint or cilantro and a touch of garam masala to eggs, fold over sauteed onions and crumbled leftover kebab, top with raita. Fantastic omelet.
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