After visiting Kuwait and enjoying their food, I was especially enamored of their kabobs. I was determined to come home and replicate it. I tried several recipes that I found and ended up pulling from different recipes to come up with my own. The Kuwaiti’s use lamb for their kabobs so I use the same, but you can use other meats such as beef or chicken. If using lamb, you have a few choices of cuts that you can use. The loin and rib chops are the most tender, but also the most expensive. Most recipes I have seen call for the sirloin or shoulder cut. These two are less expensive but work well for the kabobs. I have used both, but I prefer the more expensive cuts. You should eventually try both and make your own decision.
INGREDIENTS:
- Â 2 Lbs lamb (loin, sirloin or shoulder) cut in to 1 inch cubes (you may use beef or chicken if you prefer)
- 1/2 Cup olive oil
- Pinch of saffron threads
- Marinade:
- 1 Yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
- 1/2 Cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 Cup whole buttermilk
- 1 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1 Tsp black pepper
- 1/4 Tsp turmeric
INSTRUCTIONS:
- It’s best to marinate over night so prepare this the day before you plan to serve.
- For the marinade, you can either mince the dry ingredients and mix with the wet ingredients or you can put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Make sure you zest the lemon first and then get the juice to include both in the marinade.
- Place the cubed lamb in a freezer bag or bowl and pour the marinade over the meat and mix well so that the marinade coats all the pieces of meat. Place in refrigerator and let marinate overnight.
- You can use wooded skewers or metal skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them at this time in water and leave until you are ready to use.
- On the day you are ready to cook, take the marinated meat out 1 hour before you want to grill them. Drain the meat from the marinade without being obsessive. Place 6 pieces of the meat on each skewer. Leave a tiny bit of room between each piece.
- During the hour that the meat is coming to room temperature, grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle (or break it up with your fingers). Heat the olive oil to just warm and add the saffron to the olive oil to bloom. Use this mixture to baste your kabobs while grilling.
- You can use a stove top grill, gas grill, electric grill or charcoal grill. Whichever you use, heat the grill to a high temperature. Once the temperature is reached, place the skewers on the grill and get a quick sear on all sides. Continue cooking, basting as you go, on a medium high heat for approximately 5 to 10 minutes on each side, depending on the doneness you prefer.
- Suggested sides are basmati rice, tzatziki, hummus and pita bread. Your choice!