Koobideh is ground meat worked with grated onion and seasoning, pressed along a wide skewer and cooked over fierce heat. There is no sauce to cover a dry interior and no crust to hold a weak mixture together.
The name is connected to the pounding or working of meat. That labor matters. The mixture must grip the skewer, stay juicy and brown evenly while fat falls onto the heat below.
The plate around the skewer
Koobideh rarely travels alone. Steamed rice, a stripe of saffron, grilled tomato, sumac, herbs and sometimes butter turn the skewer into a complete Persian table.
Tear off a piece with rice and tomato in the same bite. Sumac adds tartness without turning the plate into a citrus dish.
What to notice
- A juicy center with browned ridges
- Onion integrated into the meat
- Sumac and grilled tomato beside the rice