Kabab Tabei is a delicious dish that you can make if you like to have kebabs but you don’t want to use a grill or you don’t have one. It’s simple and can be ready in an hour with a handful of ingredients!
That’s what I love about Persian food: homey, simple, delicious and full of love!
Update: Video has been added to this post.
Persian and kebab are two concepts that cannot be separated. Weekends and holidays come with families gathering together and make kebabs, usually on the grill. As many people don’t have a grill at home or just don’t want to use it, we also have this version of Kebab that is called Kabab Tabei which mean “pan kebab”. It’s cooked in a pan and served with white and saffron Persian style rice as all kebabs are served. I personally like Mehr Saffron the best in the US. The flavor, aroma and color is just on point and how I like saffron to be.
Kabab Tabei is very simple to make if you know a couple of notes and techniques:
- Meat: Traditionally my maman makes kabab tabei with a mixture of ground beef and lamb, I have made mine with only ground beef and the results are almost identical. It’s very important that the ground beef be as lean as possible and contains very little fat.
- Onion: Must be grated and then squeezed very hard so all the excess juice (which we don’t need) is out
- Mixing: All the ingredients should be mixed perfectly together and kneaded well. My maman always takes the mixture out of the bowl with her hand and drops it back in the bowl forty times. Works perfect every time!
That’s it! If you pay attention to these three key notes, there is no way you can’t make this delicious kabab tabei! 
I love Persian food because it’s very nutritious, always made with fresh and seasonal ingredients and is also simple to make. It tastes like heaven and takes me back to my maman’s kitchen back in Tehran where my most beautiful memories were born.
Well I’ve also got some news for you! We will be visiting Turkey soon, and my maman and baba will hopefully be there too! That means I’m going to meet my parents soon! I’m so excited and happy because I have some plans for the blog once I see my maman and baba! Stay tuned because you are about to see some good homemade Persian food! And well, maybe some Turkish food, too!
Kabab Tabei - Persian Pan Kebab
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 93% lean is the best
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 to matoes cut into quarters
Instructions
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Grate the onion and squeeze fully so the juice is all out. Discard the juice.
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Put ground beef in a bowl, add grated onion and spiced to it. Mix and knead very well.*
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Coat the bottom of a pan using one tablespoon olive oil.
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Spread the beef mixture in the pan using a spatula or just your hands.
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Using a spatula, divide the mixture into strips.
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Place the pan on medium heat and cover with a lid.
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When it starts to release its juice, uncover and let the juice evaporate.
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Flip the kebabs using a spatula and let the other side brown, too.
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In a small pan, heat some olive oil and fry the tomatoes.
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Serve with white and saffron rice.
Recipe Notes
To make the mixture perfect, my maman takes the mixture out with her hand and drops it back into the bowl forty times.This post might contain affiliate links.
Looking for more Persian food? Check these out!
Zereshk Polo Morgh – Persian Barberry rice with Chicken
Persian Split Chickpea Stew – Khoreshte Gheimeh
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