Mealtime: Kebabim

In my pursuit of cooking my way through Israeli cuisine, I came upon kebabim. The name would suggest that it would entail small chunks of meat placed on a skewer and then placed on a grill. This however is another dish entirely which is called shipudim and  I will cover them a later date. In the Israeli context, kebabim are spiced ground meat patties that can either be skewered or do not have to be. They are however grilled either way with skewer or without. Kebabim are staple of the Israeli Mangal, or Israeli grill. Instead of grilling hamburgers and hotdogs, Israelis will grill kebabim or shipudim. Below is my recipe for kebabim. You may add different spices to the mixture if you would like. It is all up to preference of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 kilo of ground beef
3 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon of zaatar
1 tablespoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
4 garlic cloves minced
1 onion chopped
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon coriander

Method:
In a saute pan, cook the chopped onion for about 3 minutes or until then become soft. When the onions become soft, add in the garlic. Cook the onions and garlic for about another 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Once the garlic becomes fragrant turn off the heat and cool the onion and garlic mixture. In a bowl, mix the spices, breadcrumbs, and ground beef together. Once the onions and garlic have cooled, you may add them to the beef mixture. Once the spices, breadcrumbs onions, and garlic are mixture thoroughly in the ground beef you are ready to grill them. If you have a grill you should use that. If you do not have a grill, you can use a grill pan or a heavy bottomed pan. I used a grill pan for this recipe because when I made the kebabim I had came back home from a long day and did not want to be bothered with starting a fire for the grill. If you use a grill pan or frying pan, be sure to use a small bit of oil to prevent sticking. To shape the kebabim is easy because it does not matter really what shape they are in. You can make kebab patties that look similar to hamburgers, or you can make kebab cylinders. It does not matter, it is up to personal preference. Cook the kebabim for about 3-4 minutes per side. They should be served well done because you are using ground beef and because kebabim are usually served well done in Israel. If you are using beef that you ground yourself you may serve them to temperature, medium is recommended for this preparation. When the kebabim are cooked you can serve them alongside Israeli salad, tehina, rice, roasted potatoes, french fries, or in a pita for a sandwich. They are versatile and are delicious. As part of your next barbecue, try making kebabim instead of the boring hot dogs and hamburgers. I am sure you will be satisfied with trying something these kebabim. Enjoy! בתיאבון!