quarantine cooking diary: kebabs
Cooking is my escape- it keeps me sane. After Ada was born, I quickly found myself back in the kitchen. I think it is what I needed to adjust to a new normal; cooking was a constant that remained from life before she was born.
During this isolation period, the kitchen has become more of a happy place for me. I feel that I can control things in my kitchen because I really can't control what's happening in the world right now. My kitchen is a magical place for me, where I create dishes and feed my small family. Even though I wish I could be cooking for all my friends and family, I'm so grateful for this channel as well as Instagram, so I can still be sharing the recipes and journey with you all.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing quick recipes for some of the dishes I have been making. They're easy recipes, but that can hopefully bring excitement to your tables during this time. I'm still ironing out the dishes but wanted to get them out to you and would love any feedback you have!
First up- Kebabs! This recipe is a family classic that I've wanted to bring into my rotation for some time. They're a lot less complicated than I initially thought and pack a big punch. Hopefully, you already have the spices at home or can add them to your next delivery order.
I often make kebab wraps, or you can eat them with a big green salad. They also make an excellent appetizer for entertaining. Can't forget the chutney! You can easily make these with ground turkey or chicken as well.
Beef Kebabs
Ingredients
500g medium ground beef (you can use lean, but medium is the right amount of fat)
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
½ jalapeno chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp salt
Method
Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Begin mixing everything with your hands, works much better than with a wooden spoon. Mix until combined and continue kneading the meat until it's smooth. This process takes about 3-5 minutes and makes the meat tender once cooked.
Take approximately ¼ cup chunks of meat at a time, poke with a skewer and gently work until the beef has covered a large portion of the skewer. I coat my hands with oil during this process to ensure the meat doesn't stick to my hands. You want to work slowly and carefully, so the meat doesn't fall off the skewer.
Heat BBQ to high heat.
Place skewers on the top rack and grill for 5-7 minutes. Keep in mind these will drip quite a bit of fat, so you may experience some flaming once they're on. Keep an eye on them halfway through as cook times may vary.
Alternatively, you can cook these in the oven for 15 minutes at 400. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil and set kebabs on a wire rack on top of the baking sheet.
Once cooked, take the meat off the skewers and top with pickled onions. Serve with pita, salad and chutney!
