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Beef kebab cradle

Beef Lyulya Kebab

Bold, savory flavor — absolutely delicious! Beef lyulya kebab is a dish from Middle Eastern cuisine. Traditionally it's made from finely chopped lamb or beef and grilled over an open fire, but cooked in a skillet it turns out just as good. It's the perfect dish for lunch, dinner, or a picnic.

Natusik

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef

Lamb fat-tail (if you don't have lamb fat-tail, use pork fat or lard)

150

Onion

500

Garlic

Parsley

Fresh cilantro

Cumin

Ground coriander (ground)

Ground black pepper

Salt

Onion

Parsley (5-6 sprigs)

Dill (5-6 sprigs)

Ground black pepper

Vinegar (9%)

Salt

Vegetable oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 37 % 10 g

Fats 44 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 19 % 5 g

171 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make beef lyulya kebab? Start by prepping the meat mixture. Use boneless beef. If it's frozen, thaw it ahead of time by moving it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the fridge. Rinse it, pat it dry with paper towels, and trim off any membranes and sinew. Cut it into small slices, then run the beef and the lamb fat-tail through a meat grinder twice.
Step 2:

Wash and dry the herbs (parsley, cilantro) and peel the onion and garlic. Grind these in a blender or chop them as finely as you can with a knife.
Step 3:

Add the onion-garlic mixture to the bowl of ground meat.
Step 4:

Add salt, pepper, and the rest of the spices (cumin, ground coriander), then knead the mixture well for 15 minutes. Gather it into a ball.
Step 5:

Throw the meat mixture down against the work surface at least 10–15 times: hurl the ball onto the counter, gather the flattened mass back into a ball, and repeat. This slapping knocks out excess air, leaving the mixture smooth and quite sticky. Refrigerate it for half an hour to rest.
Step 6:

Soak long wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes so they won't burn during cooking. Rub your hands with vegetable oil. Shape the meat into thin sausages (1–1½ inches / 3–4 cm across) around the skewers, pressing firmly so they hold together and there are no gaps in the meat.
Step 7:

Heat refined vegetable oil in a skillet. Lay in the skewers and fry the kebabs on all sides until browned. To check doneness, pierce the meat with a knife: if it goes in easily and the juices run clear, it's done; if the juices are pink or red, keep cooking.
Step 8:

Make the pickled onion. How? Peel an onion and cut it into thin half-moons. To keep the onion from stinging your eyes, rinse the onion and your knife under cold water first. Put the onion in a colander, pour boiling water over it, then immediately rinse with cold water so it stays crisp. Chop the washed and dried herbs, add them to the onion, season with salt and pepper to taste, and pour in the 9% vinegar.
Step 9:

Toss very gently so you don't break up the onion. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Step 10:

Serve the lyulya kebabs hot with the pickled onion, ketchup, fresh vegetables, and herbs. Enjoy!

In the classic version, the meat isn't ground in a machine but chopped very finely by hand with a knife or cleaver. Either way is delicious. You can swap the lamb fat-tail for lard or pork fat.
Everyone's tolerance for salty, sweet, bitter, spicy, and sour is different, so always add spices and seasonings to your own taste. If you're using a seasoning for the first time, go easy — some, like chili pepper, are especially easy to overdo.
Keep in mind that how you thaw the ingredients has a lot to do with the quality and flavor of the finished dish. For tips on doing it right, see the article on thawing.
Use a high-smoke-point oil for frying. Every oil is good only up to its smoke point — the temperature at which it starts to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with few exceptions, have a low smoke point: they're full of unfiltered particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils hold up to heat better. The most common high-smoke-point choices are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oil.