Persian street food lole-kebab is simple, quick, and super tasty with lavash bread.
There are more than 100 different types of kebabs in Iran, but the most common are kebab-kobideh, a signature dish in Iran. Lole-kebab is very similar to kebab-kobideh with just one difference.
I love most of the kebabs, with few exceptions!
Kebab kobideh consists of minced meat; super tasty and easy to make. Usually, it is served together with rice, grilled tomatoes, and sometimes raw egg yolk. Sometimes it is served with bread, onions, tomatoes, and parsley as “street food.”
One type that is really “street food” in Iran is Lole kebab. I remember it very well – but was never allowed to eat it when we were out as my parents were dubious about the hygiene. We use egg as a binding agent in kebab kobideh but baking soda in lole kebab – that’s the only difference.
I decided to make Persian “street food” at home, lole-kebab with all typical accessories, including freshly baked lavash bread.
You can have the accessories you like, but below you will find suggestions for some typical ones that lole- kebab is usually served with.
Ingredients for 4 – 5 people
500 g minced meat (beef, veal, lamb, turkey)
2 – 2.5 tsp salt
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 pc. yellow onion
¼ tsp of baking soda
1 teaspoon sumac (can be omitted)
Accessories
Optional sauce (see suggestion at the end of this post)
Onion (yellow or red)
Tomatoes
Parsley
Sumac
Squeezed lemon (can be omitted)
Lavash bread
Method
- Peel and grate the onion on the coarsest part of the grater, strain off 80% of the onion liquid, and set the grated onion aside.
- Measure out the salt, pepper, and baking soda.
- Put onion, spices, and bicarbonate in a bowl. Mix well. Add the minced meat and knead it for about 5 – 6 minutes so that the meat almost changes color and you can see that the fat has stuck inside the bowl.
- Let the meat rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the accessories.
- Cut an onion (yellow or red) in two – then thinly slice it. Add a little salt and stir. Leave it at room temperature until it is time to assemble it all.
- Slice or chop the tomatoes and set them aside.
- Chop the parsley – it doesn’t have to be finely chopped; set it aside.
- Prepare the sauce (see suggestions at the end).
- Divide the meat into ten equal parts. Roll each piece into an oblong cylinder – about 10 cm long (or like a sausage)
- Heat a pan and brush on a bit of oil. The pan must be at least 150° (C) – (302° (F)), before you can start frying.
- Add the kebabs and fry it for 3 – 4 minutes, turning it once a few times – fry until the internal temperature is 70° (C) – (158° (F)).
Serve it with lavash bread and all the accessories. Last but not least, you also need a tasty sauce.
The sauce can vary depending on what you like. Here is a suggestion for a simple and tasty sauce:
3 – 4 tablespoons of natural yogurt
3 tbsp ketchup or BBQ sauce (whatever you like and have at home)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 – 2 tsp lemon juice
Mix and season with more spices.
Enjoy!
