Lula kebab on charcoal grill

Kebab’s preparation is in two stages. At the first stage, grate the onions and Florina peppers and add them with their juices along with the crushed garlic cloves, and the two eggs. Knead well and then add the herbs, parsley, and peppermint. Next, add a mix of salt and pepper gradually, after you have bashed them in the mortar. Add and knead well to get a homogenous mince with gluey consistency. This is the end of stage one.

Place the mince in the fridge, until it’s really cold. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Throw cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a mortar and crush them slightly. Stir these crushed seeds in the saucepan along with the hot butter and the bay leaf, until they are slightly toasted. As soon as you add the spices, remove from the stove and keep stirring. Let the butter cool down (for about 20 minutes). Remove the mince from the fridge. Strain the butter (discard the solids) and pour it into the mince. Mix quickly, otherwise lumps can form. Knead well once more, before refrigerating for 18-24 hours.

During this period, remove the mince shortly from the fridge, for one more kneading. This will give a more elastic mixture. Don’t be afraid of the added fat. Most of them will drop during grilling and you’ll end up with an excellent, sweet, and tasty kebab.

Pile up the charcoals inside the fire cabin of your charcoal grill. Place alcohol-soaked cotton on top and light the fire. Charcoals light up upside down, from top to bottom, easily, quickly, and without smoke.

Until they are fully lit, skewer the kebabs on the wide spits. Use 110-120g of mince for each spit and spread it, with wet hands, to get a kebab shape. When the charcoals are fully lit, spread them inside the fire cabin and grill your kebabs over high heat. Be extra careful! You need to turn them quickly otherwise the mince might fall off the spit. The griller should be on alert to turn the spits in time while also keeping an eye on the vegetables –some tomatoes and peppers skewered on wide spits- that are being grilled simultaneously as side dishes. Grill some pita bread, too, and serve the kebabs on top, with grilled peppers, grilled tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, a generous amount of sliced onions, and finely chopped parsley. Don’t overgrill the kebabs. They should NOT get the brown color of a well-done roast since this will mean they have dried out and the taste won’t be as good. 

Good wine and good company are here, too, the secret to success.

Happy grilling everyone!