Seekh Kabob with Riata

A Seekh Kabob is a popular south Asian kabob made with ground lamb, beef, or chicken. Riata is a yogurt-based sauce with vegetables that is often served with spicey or savory dishes. The kabob mixture is easy to prepare, but the mechanics of cooking them is a bit more challenging. Wide flat skewers will be required. These challenges can be circumvented by forming the meat mixture into burgers.

1 pound ground lamb or beef

1/4 large onion, finely diced

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Olive oil for brushing

Prepare the Riata (recipe follows). It is best to referigate it for 1 hour or more for the flavors to blend. Combine the ground meat and the next 8 ingredients (onion through cayenne) in a large bowl and thoroughly mix. Form the meat into 5 or 6 equally sized balls of meat. Repeatedly press the balls of meat between both hands until they are firm with no cracks or irregularities. Then roll and squeeze the balls into a sausage shape. Place the kabobs on a plate, separated by waxed paper, and refrigerate for1 hour or more.

Place two bricks on the grill, separated so they will support only the ends of the skewers. Prepare the grill for hot direct cooking. Skewer the kabobs and separately skewer any other desired vegetables. Lightly brush the kabobs and vegetables with oil and season the vegetables. Place the kabobs on the grill, suspended on the bricks. Skewered vegetables can be placed directly on the grill grates.

Grill, turning the kabobs every 1 minute, lid closed, for 5 minutes. Then turn every 3 minutes until done (approximately 9 to 12 additional minutes). This procedure is critical, the kabobs must be cooked evenly on both sides or they will fall off the skewer.

Riata