In a foodie household, my husband and I usually have competitions to see who can come up with the better dish. Now his specialty is kebab. It's the don't touch category (you can never come close, so don't even try) So I did a little research to see how I can "up" the game.
I dug out a recipe from Falling Cloudberries, a beautiful recipe book featuring a collection of Cypriot, Finnish and South African family recipes by Tessa Kiros. Now technically, the recipe I am using is a recipe for Sheftalia, Cypriot meat parcels. It's basically minced lamb and beef (the original was minced pork and beef) with minced parsley and red onions; wrapped in caul fat.
What is caul fat?
Caul fat is a membrane of fat (usually beef or lamb) that is used to encase your minced meat. You can get this at a specialty butcher. It is thin and stretchy and looks like lace or a spider's web. You'll have to soak the caul fat in warm water and juice of 1/2 lemon for 30 minutes. Cut the lace-like membrane into square shapes and wrap the minced meat mixture in the caul fat.
I followed the recipe but I also added a few touches. Here are 3 tips to getting the perfect kebab or sheftalia
Spice it up
Cumin is indispensible, freshly grounded coriander works wonders and don't be afraid to salt the kebab generously.
The right Texture
Add sparkling water or soda water to get a more bouncy consistency (about 1/2 a cup for 2 pounds of meat)
Fatten it up
Use minced meat with maximum fat. And if you want them extra juicy, try the caul fat.
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