Unlike the Iranians who always serve their kebabs with rice, in Afghanistan kebabs are always served with flatbread with a garnish of fresh vegetables and herbs. They are typical restaurant or street food fare and the meat is either lamb or chicken. The marinade here is made with yogurt and a little oil, which would be replaced with melted lamb tail fat in Afghanistan. Small pieces of tail fat would also be used on the skewers alternating with the meat to provide extra moisture. Although it is nearly impossible to get tail fat outside the Middle East, both marinade and kebabs will still be good and moist without.
SERVES 4 TO 6
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MARINADE:
- ⅔ cup (180 g) whole-milk yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
- Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
FOR THE KEBABS:
- 2¼ pounds (1 kg) boneless lean lamb from the leg or the fillet, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 small onions (13 ounces/400 g total), quartered (optional)
FOR SERVING:
- Flatbread
- Quartered raw onions
- Tomato slices
- Lemon wedges
- Aleppo pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make the marinade: Put the yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in the garlic and lemon juice. Stir in the coriander and salt and pepper to taste and mix well, taste and adjust the salt and spices if necessary.
- To prepare the kebabs: Add the lamb and oil to the marinade and mix well. Let marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
- Prepare a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill or preheat the broiler to high.
- Thread the cubes of lamb onto 8 or 12 flat metal skewers, depending on how many you want to serve. You could alternate quartered onions in between the meat. Grill or broil for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until done to your liking.
- Serve immediately, on or off the skewers, on flatbread with raw onions, tomatoes, and lemon wedges. Have Aleppo pepper available for those who want to lightly spice up their kebabs.
