Kabab Koobideh w/ Persian Rice (Mẹ’s Favorite)
Last night I hosted my first mini Đám Giỗ (Vietnamese death anniversary ceremony) for my mom. I made one of her favorite meals, Kabab Koobideh w/ Persian Rice (thank you @persianmamablog and @dinnerthendessert for the easy recipes). My sister brought incense to burn, her favorite desserts, and we bowed to her with our offerings. My grandma said she was told the incense helps the dead find their way to us. My grandparents hosted many Đám Giỗ in their home when I was younger but I never really understood what it was for until last night. What an elegant way to honor a life.
Cooking Method
BBQ Grill and Rice Cooker
Time
🕒🕒
Kebab Recipe
Ingredients (4 Servings)
1 ½ LBS GROUND BEEF (80-85% LEAN)
1 LB GROUND LAMB (80-85% LEAN)
1 ½ MEDIUM YELLOW ONIONS, QUARTERED
3 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND MINCED
1 EGG
1 TSP SALT
1 TSP SUMAC
½ TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER
½ TSP TURMERIC POWDER
¼ CUP BUTTER, MELTED (FOR BRUSHING OVER THE KABOBS AFTER GRILLING)
—FOR THE GRILLED VEGETABLES
4 RIPE BUT FIRM ROMA TOMATOES
1 LARGE GREEN BELL PEPPER, STEM REMOVED, DESEEDED AND QUARTERED
OLIVE OIL TO BRUSH THE VEGETABLES WITH BEFORE GRILLING
Instructions
You will need ten 1-inch metal skewers. For best results the meat should be fresh (not previously frozen) and at room temperature.
Finely chop the onion pieces in a food processor until very juicy. Place a fine metal mesh over a bowl and strain the processed onion by pressing it with a spatula. Discard the juice. Add the remaining onion pulp to a medium bowl.
Add the ground beef and lamb, minced garlic, salt, spices and egg to the bowl. Knead all of the ingredients for several minutes until the mixture is paste like and sticks together without falling apart.
Fill up a small bowl with tap water, this is for wetting your fingers so the meat does not stick to them when you are making the kabobs. Divide the meat into 10 equal balls.
Get one of the balls of meat in the palm of your hand, place the skewer on top of it and squeeze the meat around the skewer. Once you make sure that meat is not going to fall off, start squeezing it from top to bottom and cover the middle section of the skewer. Leave the top and bottom of the skewer clear. Wet your fingers with the tap water and keep squeezing and spreading the meat evenly around the skewer. The meat should be about ½ inch thick all around the skewer.
Set the skewer gently on a shallow baking sheet with sides, so the meat does not touch the floor of the baking sheet. Continue making the rest of the kabobs. At this point the uncooked kabobs can sit over the counter while you get the grill ready.
To Grill Kabob Koobideh: You will need two square metal pipes that you will place parallel to each other on top and bottom of the cooking grate of your grill lengthwise. The top pipe is for placing the tip of the skewers and the bottom one is for the handles. This is so the skewers are raised and the meat does not touch the hot grate, otherwise it will stick and fall right off.
If you’re grilling vegetables it is always better to skewer them separate from the kabobs. The vegetables take longer to grill than the meat, so if the space is limited, grill the vegetables first and keep them warm under an aluminum foil. If there is enough grilling surface start grilling the veggies first and halfway through grilling, start the kabobs.
Place as many kabob skewers as you can fit on the grill, leave some space between them. As soon as you are done arranging all the skewers, start turning the first skewer and keep turning the rest in the order that you have placed them on the grill. The reason for this quick turning is to cook both sides of the kabobs for a short time so the meat cooks and firms up all around and does not fall off the skewer. Do not overcook the kabobs because they are thin and tend to dry out. Turn the kabobs again until you get the doneness you desire. The kabobs should have a nice grilled color on the outside and no longer pink inside, but still very juicy.
When the kabobs are ready, remove them from the heat and into a container lined with a large aluminum foil. Keep the kabobs covered with the foil until ready to serve. Brush melted butter over the kabobs.
Rice Recipe
Ingredients (6 Servings)
1/8 TSP GROUND SAFFRON, ABOUT A PINCH SAFFRON THREADS
2 CUPS BOILING WATER, DIVIDED
2 TBSP BUTTER
1 CUP UNCOOKED BASMATI OR JASMINE RICE, RINSED
1 TSP SALT
1 TSP GROUND SUMAC
Instructions
Steep the ground saffron threads in ½ cup boiling broth (or water) for 20 minutes.
Add the saffron-infused broth and the remaining ingredients to the rice cooker.
Stir to combine and secure lid.
Set rice cooker to white rice function (if it has one) and cook. Fluff with fork and sprinkle with sumac to serve.
A letter to my mom the day she passed:
Dear Mẹ,
The majority of the last decade of your life was a slow burn for both of us. You were misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s then had Stage III Uterine Cancer and lifelong Lymphedema as a result. In your advanced stages you were misdiagnosed again with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). It wasn’t until last May when we got a third opinion that it was discovered you actually had a rare neurological disorder, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). It was hard to find accessible expertise on this disease but based on all the information I could gather, everything finally made sense. I don’t think you fully understood it at this point or that it even mattered.
It was a cruel disease for a control freak like you. Aside from the many, many health complications as a result of your illnesses, your body gradually shut down over the years from mobility to speech and lastly the ability to swallow. Everything went but your mind. It was like watching you slowly die trapped in your own body. When you tested positive for COVID, things took a rapid turn in the last few weeks. But even then, you were able to flash a small smile when something made you laugh. You were a fighter and hung on to your spirit until the very end, as always. It shocked the medical team, but not me. It’s that same stubborn nature that you were lovingly known for that got you so far. It runs so deep that it’s no doubt to anyone that you blessed Amelia and I with that hard headed determination. We’ll be sure to nurture it well.
It was difficult watching someone who was once the loudest in the room and so full of life be diminished. I know you would’ve wanted to be remembered as you were before you got sick—the years you were beautiful and bright. I had forgotten about those days when we had fun and you were the one taking care of me. But those memories are flooding me now. I know you didn’t want a depressing farewell, so don’t worry. I promise we will only celebrate when you truly lived.
Rest in peace, Mẹ. You’re free again.
Love,
Bé Ly
06.03.55–12.09.20
A video and photos from her celebration of life:
