Chela
kabab (
Rice with Broiled Lamb)
Is the queen of
all kababs and is a specialty of Iran. Most foreign tourists
know what
shish kabab is, and many of them have already tried it either
in Middle Eastern restaurants or have made it themselves at home.
But be sure you have never tasted chela kabab unless you have
visited Iran.
Chela kabab is derived from two words: chela, meaning
cooked rice, and kabab, meaning broiled meat or fowl. To
prepare the real chela kabab one should use fillet or lamb.
But since that part of the lamb is hard to obtain in some countries,
leg of Iamb or sometimes shoulder of lamb are good substitutes. The
secret of good and tasty chela kabab lies in marinating of
the meat. The meat should be properly marinated in onion juice and
sometimes in yogurt for a day or two.
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There is an old
Iranian tradition as to how one should eat chelo kabab. The
proper way of serving chelo kabab is to put plenty of
chelo in a plate, make a small hole in the center of it,
put an egg yolk in it, then plenty of butter, the
broiled kabab, and a teaspoon or two of sumac over it.
Mix these ingredient well and start eating. This description and
this combination, certainly, sound very odd, but it is extremely
delicious and quite different in taste. Some other meat and
fowl dishes are:
Jujeh Kabab, broiled chicken
Kabab-e Morgh, roasted chicken
Kotlet-e Kubideh, Iranian hamburger
Kufteh Gusht, Iranian meat loaf
Luleh Kabab, kabab with ground lamb Shami, Tehrani
hamburger
Shish Kabab, broiled Iamb on the skewer Tas Kabab,
baked lamb |