Curry Recipes Online
Beginners Guide => Trainee Chefs / Beginners Questions => Topic started by: Razor on September 26, 2010, 10:33 PM
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Hi Guy's,
I'm working on a recipe for a Persian "Kubideh" which is kind of like seekh kebab but with a completely different flavour. After a chat with my local TA boss, he told me that their seekh kebabs, are actually "Kubideh's" and one of the ingredients was Sumac. The reason they call them seekh kebabs, is because it is what we (British) are used to seeing.
He also went on to say that there were, green chilli's, jeera, turmeric, grated onion and egg in them, but he didn't specify quantities.
Some of you guy's may have noticed in some of my previous post, that I have mentioned these kebabs quite alot and commented on how different they are from a normal seekh kebab, without actually knowing that they are infact Kubideh and not seekh's. That now explains a lot to me, and encourages me to try and crack this one, and share it with you guy's on the forum.
So, have any of you guy's come across Sumac or know if it is readily available in asian supermarkets?
Cheers in advance,
Ray :)
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Maybe he meant there summick in them? Ahem;
http://www.thebestpossibletaste.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=402 (http://www.thebestpossibletaste.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=402)
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He also went on to say that there were, green chilli's, jeera, turmeric, grated onion and egg in them, but he didn't specify quantities.
Hi Ray,
I looked at a few Kubideh recipes I googled on the net. I didn't see any mention of jeera (cumin) but the recipes all included garlic and black pepper and usually sumac. You could find sumac spice on-line but I don't know how many asian shops would stock it.
I would be interested if you manage to create a recipe so good luck.
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi PaulP,
I also googled it, and was really surprised how little ingredients go in the old Kubideh. Salt, Turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger and quite a few asking for 1:1 beef/lamb mince.
Now I know for a fact that my local doesn't use beef, so I will be opting for a full Lamb version. And the predominant flavour in theirs is definitely cumin/Jeera.
I will crack this one because I've been close before. I think the main difference with these as appose to seekh kebabs is the texture due to the extra blending in the food processor.
I think I will make a start on them tonight, and see where I get to without the Sumac.
Ray :)
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Well, I managed to get hold of it, no problem.
Spelled 'Summak', 200g for 2 quid. It, smells and tastes a bit like pickled onion crisp? It's not particularly strong in flavour and I'm guessing I could be quite liberal with it. Anyway, I'm gonna get cracking on this, reports to follow.
Ray :)
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Hi Guys
Sumac is from my part of the world here in Turkey
It is extensively used here but primarily as a salad dressing as it imparts a mild lemon flavour
It is red in colour and similiar in appearance to ground chilli flakes :)
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Hey Artist,
You wouldn't happen to have a recipe for Kubideh (Koobideh) would you? It's a persian version of the seekh kebab, very different in flavour.
Ray :)
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Hi Ray
Sorry mate I dont.
Here in Turkey which is home to both the kebab and kofte, all households and the majority of restaurants use a ready made premix commercial seasoning for preparing the meats before cooking off
The only fresh ingredient added is always chopped flat leaf parsley, precooked chopped onion and optional precooked garlic
The mix is very cheap here
Indeed if enough guys on our Forum wanted it, say maybe 10, I would be prepared to post a package of 10 packs over at cost price to one nominated member for subsequent individual postage within the UK by him/her. Im Paypal ready too
Its not a thing which will turn up in Asian stores I think
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I got this off ebay last year for a turkish dish i did it is also nice sprinkled on nann breads
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Just back from holiday in Turkey and brought some back with us. We were told to sprinkle it on salds and it can also be mixed with olive oil and garlic as a marinade for meat on BBQs. (is that true)?
TC
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Hi TC,
The "sprinkle" comment makes a lot of sense as it appears to be more of a condiment, bit like salt 'n' pepper. As for it's use as a marinade, I guess that is true also. When making Kubideh, once all the ingredients are mixed, most recipes ask for the meat to be refridgerated for 24-48 hours, so naturally, the meat will be getting marinated.
Incidentally, my first attempt at these Kubideh's was a disaster. I added far too much grated onion, and with the egg also going in, it made the mixture far too wet. The taste was all wrong too, I now know that I'd over done it with the cumin.
The texture was wrong also. My TA's are quite rubbery, and juicy. These ended up very dry, when I finally managed to get one to stay on the skewer. Talking about the skewers, even my big un's don't work, you really need the flat ones that are about an inch wide.
I still believe I'm on the right track though, because, even through all the cumin, I still tasted that familiar taste that I get from my TA's Kubideh's, so I've not given up hope.
Any suggestions guy's?
Ray :)
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Spelled 'Summak'
I once saw a bag of Summak with a printed label on the packaging which read "100% pure smack".. Couldn't help but have a chuckle
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Hi Razor
I think it fairly readily available,but its sometimes called sumach/sumaq- so you may have missed it.
Either way you can get it here-http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/sumac-sumach-sumaq-1920-p.asp.
Hope that helps
Phil
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Hi Philuk,
Many thanks for your help mate :)
I actually got hold of it very easily in the end, fro my local asian supermarket.
Many thanks,
Ray :)
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So, have any of you guy's come across Sumac or know if it is readily available in asian supermarkets?
Picked up a few hundred grammes in Abu Dhabi last week, along with rather more Kashmiri chilli, cumin seeds and some whole nutmeg. Now I can try your kubideh :)
** Phil.
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I think i used some many years ago but cant remember what for.
A mate of mine uses it in his Merguez recipe.
Frank. :)
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The missus uses this in salads. Especially good mixed by hand with red onion. She says about 2 tspns to 1 onion.. This is good to use for many recipes, but really good with kefta.
Sumac has a pleasant lemony tang and is used in many recipes throughout the Middle East.
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The missus uses this in salads. Especially good mixed by hand with red onion. She says about 2 tspns to 1 onion.. This is good to use for many recipes, but really good with kefta.
We often add chopped parsley but it also works great with chopped coriander. I normally serve it with my Turkish kebabs.
Works great on salads with a drop or two of pomegranate syrup.
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Just to be clear, it's not used in the kefta mixture but as a salad. Flat bread, a coating of hot pepper puree, a kefta, onions and sumac. Heaven.
My mother in law is from poor mountain stock and uses sumac on stuffed cabbage and leek dishes.
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This is an area where I can, maybe, provide some insight.
Sumak is very common in turkish cuisine. In fact, basically all turkish dishes include it. Among them would be the german and turkish variants of D?ner, but also Adana Kebab, B?reks and tons of other turkish and persian dishes.
I can see how your Kebabs taste very different when using Sumak - when I initially tried some of the Kebab recipes from this site and other (US/UK) sites I was quite disappointed because they didn't provide the taste I was looking for. The same goes for the dips. However, I then discovered Sumak and some other turkish spices and am experimenting with them a bit.
All that being said, I don't think that Sumak has any use in BIR or traditional Indian kitchen - it's a totally different thing. I do know that I enjoy Turkish Kebabs a whole lot more than Indian ones, though :)