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Halal-conscious recipe

Kabab torsh with borani bademjan

Leyli Homayoonfar's northern Iranian kabab torsh with Halal lamb: cubes marinated in walnuts, garlic and pomegranate molasses and grilled to a dark glaze, served on charred aubergine yogurt with a shirazi salad and lavash.

  • Cuisine Persian
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Yield 4 servings
  • Time 6h 10m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
A plate of seekh kebabs with roti, cucumber and mint
Photograph from our ingredient library: seekh kebabs, another grilled kebab, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Why Halal checks matter here

The kebabs are 600 g of lamb leg or rump, which is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal; the borani is 350 g of Greek-style yogurt, and the lavash is shop-bought bread.

Cubes of lamb are marinated for at least 4 hours in a blend of ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, onion and herbs, then grilled hot until the marinade turns to a dark, sweet-sour glaze. They are served on borani bademjan, charred aubergine folded through garlicky yogurt with saffron, with a sumac-dressed shirazi salad and warm lavash. The lamb needs a Halal source; the yogurt should be gelatin-free and the lavash free of L-cysteine (E920) of unstated source, or certified.

It follows Leyli Homayoonfar's recipe for BBC Food, from Saturday Kitchen, which calls kabab torsh a northern Iranian dish and serves four. The ingredient list calls for the aubergines already charred, so do that while the lamb marinates.

Dress the shirazi salad just before serving, as the recipe says.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Lamb leg or rump Lamb is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and lamb without a Halal mark doesn't say how the animal was slaughtered. Buy the lamb from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Lamb.
  • Greek-style yogurt Plain yogurt is milk fermented with cultures, but gelatin turns up in set, low-fat and dessert yogurts. Choose a yogurt with no gelatin on the label. See Yogurt.
  • Lavash Some industrial breads use L-cysteine (E920) as a dough conditioner; its source is not always stated. Choose lavash without E920, or certified. See L-cysteine.

Safe substitutes

  • Lamb of unknown slaughter → 600 g Halal lamb leg or rump
  • Yogurt with gelatin → Full-fat Greek-style yogurt with no gelatin
  • Lavash with E920 of unstated source → Lavash without E920, or certified

Allergens

tree nuts (walnuts), milk (yogurt), gluten (lavash)

Ingredients

Kabab torsh

  • 70 g walnuts, finely ground
  • 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 10 g fresh mint leaves
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 600 g Halal lamb leg or rump, in 5 cm cubes, bone removed

Borani bademjan

  • 350 g full-fat Greek-style yogurt, gelatin-free
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • 2 large aubergines, charred, flesh removed and chopped
  • pinch saffron, crushed and bloomed in 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • to taste salt

Shirazi salad

  • ½ large cucumber, finely chopped
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • ½ small red onion, very finely chopped
  • 10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 10 g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

To serve

  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • pinch salt
  • sprinkle chopped mixed herbs
  • drizzle each pomegranate molasses and olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and crushed
  • 4 lavash flatbreads without E920, or certified, warmed

Method

  1. Make the marinade. Blend all the kabab torsh ingredients except the lamb in a blender or food processor until smooth. Massage the marinade into the lamb.
  2. Marinate. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.
  3. Thread the skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for at least 20 minutes, then drain and dry. Thread the lamb onto the skewers.
  4. Grill the lamb. Heat a grill, barbecue or cast-iron pan until very hot. Cook the skewers for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them so the lamb is coloured all over and cooked through; the walnut marinade gives a deep, dark glaze. Set aside.
  5. Make the borani bademjan. Mix the yogurt, garlic and lemon juice in a large bowl and season with salt. Fold through the aubergine, the saffron and its water, and the olive oil.
  6. Make the shirazi salad. Mix the cucumber, tomato, onion and herbs in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, oil, salt and sumac. Just before serving, fold the dressing and the pomegranate seeds into the salad.
  7. Serve. Spread the borani bademjan on a serving plate. Finish the skewers with the lemon juice, salt, mixed herbs and drizzles of pomegranate molasses and olive oil, and lay them on the borani or alongside. Scatter with the dried mint and crushed walnuts, and serve with the shirazi salad and warm lavash.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Food's 'Kabab torsh, borani bademjan and shirazi salad' by Leyli Homayoonfar, from Saturday Kitchen, which calls kabab torsh a northern Iranian dish (serves 4; prepare over 2 hours, cook less than 10 minutes. Kabab torsh: 70 g finely ground walnuts, 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 4 crushed garlic cloves, a small roughly chopped onion, 10 g each chopped parsley and mint leaves, 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice blended smooth and massaged into 600 g lamb leg or rump in 5 cm cubes; chilled at least 4 hours or ideally overnight; threaded onto metal or soaked wooden skewers and cooked 8 to 10 minutes on a very hot grill, barbecue or cast-iron pan. Borani bademjan: 350 g full-fat Greek-style yogurt, a crushed garlic clove and the juice of ½ lemon, seasoned, with 2 large charred aubergines (flesh chopped), a pinch of saffron bloomed in 1 tbsp water and 2 tbsp olive oil folded through. Shirazi salad: ½ large cucumber, 2 tomatoes, ½ small red onion, 10 g each parsley and mint, 1 tsp dried mint, dressed with the juice of ½ lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp sumac, with 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds. To serve: the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of salt, chopped mixed herbs, pomegranate molasses and olive oil over the skewers; 1 tsp dried mint and 2 tbsp toasted crushed walnuts scattered over; 4 warmed lavash flatbreads). We specified Halal lamb, a gelatin-free yogurt and lavash without E920 or certified; the published steps are grouped at their natural breaks. BBC Food gives no skill level; we rate it moderate for its three components. Nothing else needed changing. Rest time is the 4-hour minimum marinade. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Kabab torsh, borani bademjan and shirazi salad — BBC Food Retrieved:

    By Leyli Homayoonfar, from Saturday Kitchen; kabab torsh described as a northern Iranian dish. Serves 4; prepare over 2 hours, cook less than 10 minutes: lamb marinated at least 4 hours in walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, onion and herbs and grilled 8 to 10 minutes; charred aubergine folded through garlic yogurt with saffron; cucumber, tomato and herb salad with sumac and pomegranate; lavash. We specified Halal lamb.

  2. Lamb analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    What makes lamb Halal: the slaughter.

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