Gulab Seekh Kebab (Rose Lamb Kebabs)

We decided to do up a big Indian dinner on labour day weekend and share it with TM. She made an incredible fish curry with coconut milk sauce and we made cucumber raita, paav bhajee, and these delicious lamb kebabs. Then we just put on a pot of rice to cook while we chatted and finished up the cooking. It made for a wonderful end-of-summer get-together.

Gulab Seekh Kebab

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 450g ground lamb
• 1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, minced
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• vegetable oil
• 1 c. half-and-half or table (10-18%) cream
• 1/4 c. dried rose petals
• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads

Directions

1. If you'll be using bamboo skewers, soak them in some water first.
2. Combine lamb, mint, cayenne, garlic, scallions, 1/2 tsp. of the garam masala, and 3/4 tsp. salt and mix well. Cover and keep chilled until ready to use.
3. Scoop up a handful of the meat mixture¹ and shape it into a ball. Impale the ball on a skewer and spread it out to cover most of the length of the skewer, pressing tightly.
4. Repeat above process with remaining meat.
5. Preheat your grill or broiler. (I recommend a charcoal grill if possible.)
6. Grease you grill (or the kebabs) with a bit of vegetable oil.
7. Grill the lamb over direct heat, turning frequently, until cooked through (6-10 minutes).
8. Once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a serving platter.
9. Combine the half-and-half, rose petals, saffron, remaining 1/2 tsp. of garam masala, and remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened (2-3 minutes).
11. Pour the sauce over the cooked lamb and serve.

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¹ Iyer says the recipe should make 8 skewers, but that entirely depends on the size of your skewers. We made lots of little ones rather than a few big ones. ^Back