Kebab koobideh
کباب کوبیده
Iran's ground meat kebab: lamb and onion kneaded smooth, pressed on wide skewers and grilled, served with rice and sumac.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: کباب کوبیده.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 2 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Koobideh is minced lamb, or lamb and beef, with grated onion squeezed dry, salt, pepper and a little turmeric. That is the whole recipe. The work is in kneading the mince until it is smooth and sticky enough to cling to wide flat skewers, and in grilling it fast over high heat so it chars outside while staying soft within. At home the skewers go under a very hot grill or onto a griddle. Serve with saffron rice or lavash, a grilled tomato, raw onion, sumac and a knob of butter melting into the rice.
What you'll need
13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Lamb, minced, 20 percent fat500 g
- Beef, minced250 g
- Onion, grated and squeezed hard in a cloth1 large
- Salt9.9 ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
- Turmeric2½ ml
- Baking soda (optional)1.2 ml
- Tomato, whole, for grilling4 medium
- Butter, to serve40 g
- Saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp hot water, for brushing (optional)1 pinch
- Sumac, to serve9.9 ml
- Red onion, sliced, to serve1 medium
- Rice, basmati, cooked as chelow, to serve400 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Mix both minces with the squeezed onion, salt, pepper, turmeric and baking soda. Knead 5 minutes until the mixture is uniform, paste-like and sticky. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, overnight is better.
7 min
Tip: The onion must be dry. Wet onion is the usual reason koobideh falls off the skewer.
Step 2
Heat the grill to its highest setting. With wet hands, take 120 g of meat, mould it along a flat skewer in a strip about 20 cm long, and pinch indentations along it with thumb and forefinger. Alternatively shape flat logs 2 cm thick straight onto an oiled tray.
10 min
Step 3
Grill the tomatoes first, turning, until blistered, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
8 min250°C
Step 4
Grill the kebabs 10 cm from the element, 4 minutes a side, turning once with tongs. Brush with saffron water in the last minute. They should be charred at the ridges and just cooked through.
9 min
Watch: Do not walk away. Thin kebabs overcook in a minute.
Step 5
Serve on saffron rice with butter melting over, the grilled tomatoes, raw onion and a shake of sumac. Lavash instead of rice makes it a wrap.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 776 kcal
- Protein
- 52.1 g
- Carbs
- 39.4 g
- Fat
- 44.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 20.2 g
- Fibre
- 3.2 g
- Sugar
- 5.6 g
- Sodium
- 1114 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Gluten-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Lamb and beef → All beef
Common in Iranian restaurants abroad. Use 20 percent fat mince.
Tips
- Fat content is not negotiable. Lean mince makes a dry, crumbly kebab that will not hold.
- If a kebab slips on the skewer, lay it on a tray instead. It will still taste right.
History & culture
Chelow kebab, rice with koobideh, is often called Iran's national dish. It is the lunch of kebab houses in every town, eaten with a glass of doogh and a raw egg yolk dropped into the rice if you are serious. Fridays and picnics mean a portable grill and a bag of skewers.
Minced kebabs are old across the Persian and Turkic world. Chelow kebab as a restaurant plate dates to Qajar Tehran in the 19th century, when the first dedicated kebab houses opened near the bazaar. Koobideh means pounded, from the original method of beating the meat.
Traditional — Real koobideh needs wide flat skewers and charcoal. Thin skewers and an oven grill work but the kebabs are more likely to slump; shaping them as flat logs on a tray is the honest fallback.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Kebab koobideh take?
2 hr 35 min all in — 20 min prep, 15 min cook, 2 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Baking tray, Mixing bowl, Tongs.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Lamb and beef → All beef. Common in Iranian restaurants abroad. Use 20 percent fat mince.
What should I watch for?
Do not walk away. Thin kebabs overcook in a minute.
Any tips from this recipe?
Fat content is not negotiable. Lean mince makes a dry, crumbly kebab that will not hold. If a kebab slips on the skewer, lay it on a tray instead. It will still taste right.
Can I prepare this ahead?
The onion must be dry. Wet onion is the usual reason koobideh falls off the skewer.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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