Go Back
Beef-Koobideh
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Beef Koobideh Recipe

Enjoy one of the most popular Persian street foods right in your own home. Fragrant, juicy and deeply flavorful, this Beef Koobideh Recipe is a great midweek dish because it is so quick and easy to make! Try something different tonight!
Prep Time7 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Oven/Grill Heating Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Iranian, Persian
Keyword: Beef Koobideh, Iranian Street Food, kabab koobideh recipe, kabab koubideh, kabab-e-koobideh, Persian Kabobs, persian kebab, Shikh Kabobs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 266kcal
Author: Lima

Equipment

  • skewers, preferably wide skewers
  • Large mixing bowl
  • grater

Ingredients

Beef Koobideh

  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef or lamb 80-85% lean
  • 1 onions
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes optional
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoon melted butter for brushing over the kebabs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon parsley (optional) thinly sliced

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup yogurt whole milk, Greek style
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon sugar/sweetener optional
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • teaspoon salt to taste

Instructions

Make the kebab mixture

  • Grate the onion with a box grater. Strain the pulp and set aside. Discard the onion juice.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the strained onion, ground beef, garlic, egg, sumac, chili flakes, turmeric, salt and pepper. Combine well until thoroughly mixed. Set aside. The kebab mix can be made overnight if kept in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Shape the kebabs

  • Right before cooking, divide the kebab into 6 portions. Wet your hands with a little water and roll each portion onto a skewer. The kebab mixture should be evenly shaped onto the skewer and no more than ⅔ inch thick. Make parallel indentations on the top of the entire length of the kebab by pressing two fingers across the width of the kebab about 1 inch apart. Place the kebabs on a baking sheet until ready to cook.

Cook the Beef Koobideh

  • On the grill: Heat grill on high heat. Grill the Beef Koobideh on each side for about 4-5 minutes, turning as needed to ensure even cooking. Remove from grill while the kabobs are still juicy and tender - the kabobs can dry out quickly. Baste the kabobs with lemon juice and butter and serve immediately.
    Broiler/Oven: Set the oven to 500°F Broil and wait a15-30minutes for the oven to get really hot. Place the skewered Beef Koobideh on a wire rack on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Broil the Beef Koobideh for 4 minutes on each side about 6 inches from the broiler. Remove from the oven while the kabobs are still juicy and tender - the kabobs can dry out quickly. Baste the kabobs with lemon juice and butter and serve immediately.

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

  • Stir together all the ingredients, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Notes

  • 80-85% lean ground meat make the best Beef Koobideh. Anything lower may cause the beef to slide off the skewers duing the cooking process.
  • If you can have the meat twice ground by a butcher. Freshly ground meat makes a big difference and have the meat ground twice really gives the meat a wonderful texture.
  • Use only lamb or beef or a combination of the two. If you decide to use chicken add a tablespoon of oil to the ground meat mix so that the chicken does not dry out too quickly.
  • Using a charcoal grill will give you the best results because you get that authentic smoky flavor.
  • To be fully cooked, the ground meats like Beef Koobideh needs to register 160°F on a meat thermometer when inserted in the middle per the USDA.

Nutrition

Each serving of this Beef Koobideh Recipe has about 266 calories, 35.7g of protein, 11.7g of fat and 2.5g of carbohydrates. This Beef Koobideh recipe yields approximately 6 servings.  
The Cilantro Yogurt Sauce Recipe has about 25 calories, 2.7g of fat and 2.7g of carbohydrates (2.5g of net carbs). The Cilantro Yogurt Sauce yields approximately 8 servings.  
The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only. Please use it as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.