Nowruz Mobarak!! In other words, Happy Persian New Year!!! And welcome to my 3 part Persian food series in honor of the new year.

Here’s what you need to know: My dad is Persian which means I grew up eating tons of delicious Persian food. Not so much from him cooking…but from the BEST Persian restaurant in Atlanta (shout out Rumi’s Kitchen), my late grandmother, and tons of family friends in London. This type of food holds such a special place in my heart, it is truly my comfort food. Here’s the problem… Persian food consists of a lot of meat and yogurt. Quite the issue for someone vegan. I’m lucky enough to live in Los Angeles where you can find vegan versions of virtually any food, but most people don’t have that option.

What’s am I gonna share for this series? Glad you asked! We have…

1. Mast-o-Mousir (Persian Shallot Dip)
2. Koobideh Kebab
3. Tahdig (crispy rice)

Here we go…Koobideh Kebab. This is a kebab traditionally made with ground beef and lamb, but of course, I don’t eat meat. So we’re using Beyond Meat, which worked incredibly! I can honestly and unbiasedly say that aside from a burger at Monty’s, this is the juiciest vegan meat dish I’ve ever had. Please please please do yourself a favor and make this!

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Recipe

Serves: ~6 kebabs

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 345g plant based ground beef (defrosted)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1-1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sumac
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

• Finely grate onion (in a food processor or by hand)
• Place grated onion in a cheese cloth and squeeze out all excess liquid
• Add strained onion, seasoning, and beef in a bowl
• Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined
• Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes-1 hour
• Using wide skewers, take even amounts of meat mixture and mold to each skewer.
• While forming, gently press thumb into meat in even increments
• Place each kebab on the grill over medium-high heat, flipping constantly. Cook for about 7-10 minutes
• Pull off of skewers and serves alongside your favorite Persian dishes!