Kebab

A kebab is meat, fish or vegetables cooked over or beside fire, often on a skewer. The word covers many dishes from Turkey, Iran, the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. Shish kebab is cubes on a skewer. Köfte or seekh kebab is spiced ground meat pressed around a skewer. Döner kebab is meat stacked on a turning spit and sliced off as it cooks.

How to do it

1. Cut meat into even 3 to 4 cm (1¼ to 1½ inch) cubes. Lamb shoulder, chicken thigh and beef sirloin all work.
2. Marinate it for 2 to 12 hours. Yogurt, garlic, onion juice, lemon and spices are common.
3. If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes so they do not burn.
4. Thread the meat snugly but not crushed. Put vegetables on their own skewers, because they cook at a different speed.
5. Grill over high heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Cubes usually take 8 to 12 minutes.
6. Rest for a few minutes, then serve with flatbread, rice, salad and yogurt sauce.

How to tell it is done

Check the internal temperature of the thickest piece. Chicken should reach 74°C (165°F). Ground meat kebabs should reach 71°C (160°F). Whole cuts of lamb or beef are safe at 63°C (145°F) with a 3 minute rest, though many cooks take them further.

Common mistakes

• Uneven pieces. Small ones dry out while big ones stay raw.
• Mixing meat and vegetables on one skewer. One is always over- or undercooked.
• Packing the meat too tightly. The middle cooks slowly.
• Lean meat. It dries out over high heat. Use cuts with some fat.

In recipes

In the US, "kabob" usually means meat and vegetables on a skewer. In the UK and much of Europe, "kebab" often means a döner wrap from a takeaway shop. In Turkey and Iran, the word is broader and includes stews and dishes baked in a pan. Döner and Greek gyros and Arab shawarma come from the same idea of a vertical rotisserie. Kebabs are often part of a mezze spread.