Kabab Chenjeh – Grilled Rib-Eye Kabab

Kabab Chenjeh is my favourite Persian Kabab! Traditionally it is made of lamb but in this version, I’m using rib-eye beef steak. It has a larger amount of fat, which ensures the kabab turns out nice and tender without adding marinating them.

This recipe is for 6 people. It depends on your guests really. If your friends are like my friends you’re lucky if it feeds four of them though!

Serve this mouthwatering Grilled Rib-Eye Kabab with aromatic Persian saffron rice.

Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.

Time

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 30 min

Total: 45 min

Ingredients (serving for 6)

1.2 kg rib-eye steak (approx. 6 steaks)

1 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

8 tomatoes

Melted butter (optional)

Salt

Method 

Season the meat

Cut the steaks into approx. 1” (2.5cm) pieces.

Coat the meat pieces with olive oil and season them with black pepper.

Prepare for the BBQ

Wash the tomatoes and leave them whole. Skewer them through the side on your BBQ skewers. Also, pierce each tomato a couple of times with a small kitchen knife. Set them aside.

Skewer the meat cubes. You can season them with salt now or when you bbq them.

Usually, Persian kabab is served with delicious saffron rice. You can put the rice on now, then light the charcoals and keep an eye on the rice while the charcoal heats up to the right temperature. Once the rice is at the stage in which you reduce the temperature and put on the lid, you can leave it alone and focus on the BBQ.

Grill the Tomatoes and Kabab Chenjeh

I use real lump wood charcoal for my barbeques. It doesn’t have any nasty chemicals in it and lights up effortlessly in my charcoal starter. Sometimes I add apple wood chips for an extra special smokey flavour.

1. Once the charcoal turns white on the outside and glows bright red inside you are ready to bbq. Spread the charcoal out evenly.

2. Grill the tomatoes first because they take more time than the Kabab Chenjeh and can be prepared in advance, then kept warm. Grill them from both sides and don’t worry about the skin turning black. It will be peeled off before eating them. Make sure not to take them off too soon. They should be nice and soft and slide off the skewer without you touching them. You can put them into a pan with the lid on and leave them near the BBQ to keep them warm.

3. Now it’s time to grill the Kabab Chenjeh. Your BBQ should still be hot and so it should be ready quickly. Grill them from both sides until they are nice and brown. You can brush them with melted butter to prevent the meat from drying out. Season them with salt.

4. Once the colour looks right take them off and serve as soon as possible. Don’t leave the meat on the

   barbeque for too long as it will get dry and chewy! Slide them off the skewers using a piece of bread.

Serve them with the tomatoes and saffron rice. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you have any questions please let me know in the comments. I’m always happy to help. I’d love to see your Kabab Chenjeh! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!