Chelo kebab
Photo: Rakhshanda Mujib · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Iranian cooks have fed Dubai since merchants from the Persian coast settled Bastakiya, and chelo kebab is the dish that community serves the whole city. Chelo is the rice, steamed then finished with butter and saffron so the base forms a crust, and the kebab is either koobideh, minced lamb and beef pressed onto a flat sword skewer, or joojeh, chicken marinated in saffron, lime and onion juice. The accompaniments are fixed: a blistered tomato, raw onion, sumac and a knob of butter stirred through the rice at the table. Al Ustad Special Kabab has served it near Al Fahidi since 1978 under walls of photos of its famous patrons.

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Common allergens: Milk

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g minced lamb, 20 percent fat
  • 300g minced beef
  • 1 large onion, grated and squeezed very dry
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, half teaspoon black pepper
  • 400g basmati rice, soaked 2 hours in salted water
  • 80g butter
  • A large pinch of saffron steeped in 3 tablespoons hot water
  • 4 tomatoes
  • Sumac and raw onion wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Knead the two minces with the squeezed onion, turmeric, salt and pepper for 8 minutes until the mixture is sticky and pulls away from the bowl in one mass. Chill 1 hour.
  2. Boil the drained rice in plenty of salted water for 5 minutes, until soft outside and firm inside. Drain.
  3. Melt half the butter in a heavy pot, add the rice in a mound, cover with a cloth wrapped lid and steam on low for 35 minutes so a crust forms at the base.
  4. Press the meat onto flat metal skewers in a long ribbon, squeezing ridges every 3cm with wet fingers so it grips.
  5. Grill over hot coals, turning constantly for the first minute so it sets, then 3 to 4 minutes a side. Grill the tomatoes alongside until the skins split.
  6. Fork the saffron water and the rest of the butter through the rice, and serve the skewers over it with sumac and onion.

Tip from the editors. Squeeze the grated onion until it is almost dry. Wet onion is the single reason koobideh slides off the skewer into the fire.

Where to eat chelo kebab

Chelo kebab in Dubai

Al Ustad Special Kabab ★ 4.2

$ IranianBur DubaiUntil 01:00

Al Ustad Special Kabab near Al Fahidi in Bur Dubai has grilled skewers since 1978 in a family run room hung with photos of its famous patrons.

TryMixed kebab platter with tandoori naan

TipMeals start with a complimentary plate of fresh vegetables; order a mixed platter of chicken and lamb kebabs to share.

Directions

Special Kabab Iranian Restaurant ★ 3.8

$ IranianJumeirah

Special Kabab Iranian Restaurant grills kafta and chicken kebabs opposite Capitol Hotel on Al Mina Road, a Persian counter in Al Hudaiba, Dubai.

TryChicken and beef kafta kebab

TipAsk for extra grilled tomato with the kafta; the char on it is why regulars keep coming back.

Directions

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