My love for Middle Eastern food started with hummus and freshly baked pitas. I cannot have enough of the creamy hummus and freshly bakes pitas. But no meal is complete for me without the wide range of kebabs that this cuisine has to offer. Along with spicy bulgur and pickled vegetables and salad. A middle eastern meal is always a delight to eat and to serve. There is immense knowledge and technique in preparation of these delicious morsels. Kebabs are made using a wide variety of cuts of meats. I specifically enjoy using minced meats as it is very easy to add a lot of flavor. You can also use different kinds of meat depending on what is available and make a wide variety of kebabs.

I love Harissa as an ingredient. It has sweet, spicy and mixed aromatic notes to it. I add it to fish, chicken, prawns and have tried to make kebabs with it recently and the results are spectacular. This particular recipe for kebabs uses minced meat. You can use chicken, beef, pork or lamb. It is a very versatile recipe.

Most kebab recipes will ask that no egg be added to the kebabs. That is the traditional view for the case in which you are using meat with a high fat content. In my case I buy lean meats as much as possible. In that situation, it is imperative that eggs are added to the meat mixture to ensure the meat does not fall apart and also to add the moisture that is needed in the absence of fat in the meat.

I also like to process the minced meats in the food processor along with the rest of the flavorings as usually the meats are not a very fine mince and pulsing them a few more times breaks them down further. This ensures that the consistency of the kebab is smooth. This step can however be skipped for chicken kebabs where the meat is relatively tender and requires lesser cooking as well.

Ingredients:

250 gms lean meat mince (Pork/chicken/beef/lamb). I have used pork in this recipe

1 egg (lightly beaten)

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves

1 large / 2 small cloves garlic (coarsely chopped)

2 tablespoons harissa paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. To a food processor, add the chopped onion, garlic, coriander leaves and pulse 4-5 times till the pieces are finely chopped.

2. Add harissa, turmeric powder to this mixture and the minced meat and pulse a few more times till all the ingredients blend well together.

3. Transfer the meat mixture to a container and store in the refrigerator for atleast 4 hours, preferably overnight.

4. When you are ready to cook, add salt, pepper and egg to the meat mixture and combine well. Make sure to not overmix the meat and spices mixture to ensure the kebabs do not become tough.

5. Form into kebabs. Grill on a lightly greased pan over medium heat and serve.