Chelo kebab

Chelo, which simply means plain-cooked rice and kebab, is a must-try for anyone wanting to try Persian cuisine for the first time.

When it comes to chelo, there are a variety of protein options. There's koobedeh, which is ground meat seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed with minced onion. Then there's bargh, a thinly sliced lamb fillet that's usually marinated in lemon juice and onions overnight. Don't forget about chenjeh, a marinated, diced, and grilled lamb fillet. Or joojeh, which is saffron-marinated chicken basted in butter.

They're all tender, juicy, and delicious when cooked on the grill. A grilled tomato, sumac (a red spice made from dried berries), and a knob of butter to mix into your rice will accompany your chelo kebab.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
  
• 1 onion , grated and drained
  
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
  
• 1 tablespoon sumac
  
• A few saffron threads
  
• Salt
  
• Pepper
  
• 4 tomatoes
  
• 2 onions
  
• 2 cups basmati rice
  
• Sunflower oil
  
• A few saffron threads

Instructions

Koobideh

• Dilute saffron in ½ cup of boiling water, cover and infuse for 10 minutes.
  
• Mix the ground meat with the grated onion, then add the spices, salt and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes after each ingredient is added.
• Finish with 3 tablespoons of infused saffron water and mix well again.
  
• Place in a covered container in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
  
• Make 8 koobideh kebabs by pressing the meat well to barbecue skewers.
  
• Pinch the meat with your fingers regularly throughout the skewer every inch to give its characteristic shape.
  
• Grill the skewers on a BBQ by placing them over the coals. Turn them regularly to ensure a perfectly even grilling for approximately 15 minutes.
  
• Place the tomatoes and onions on the BBQ and turn regularly. They are served as an accompaniment to the skewers.

Chelo

• Soak the rice in plenty of cold water for 2 hours
  
• Rinse thoroughly and drain.
  
• Cook the rice for 7 minutes in large amount of salted boiling water.
  
• Drain the rice, but do not wash the pot.
  
• Keep over high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons water, stir and scrape the
• bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula.
  
• Pour the precooked and drained rice to form a pyramid.
  
• Poke 3 to 4 holes in the rice with the handle of your wooden spatula.
  
• Pour 2 tablespoons of oil in an evenly distributed fashion.
  
• Put a dish towel over pot, then cover with pot lid and bring dish towel ends over pot lid.
  
• This technique ensures a better seal, and is key to success of this type of rice steaming.
  
• Never open the lid throughout cooking.
  
• Cook over high heat about 5 to 10 minutes, until a little steam escapes from the sides of the lid.
  
• Then lower heat and cook for 40 minutes.
  
• Place the rice in a serving dish and remove the crispy rice crust that formed at the bottom of the pot.
  
• Dissolve the saffron in 2 tablespoons of boiling water, take a part of the cooked rice and pour the saffron on top.
  
• Serve the kebabs accompanied by the grilled tomatoes and onions and the rice topped with a few tablespoons of saffron rice.