Prep. time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

Traditionally chopped lamb was used to make these brochettes; these days, ground veal is often used, or failing that, beef.

The secret is to chop the meat very finely, so that it adheres well to the skewers. Personally, I put all the ingredients into a food processor to obtain a kind of coarse purée, which makes the whole operation much simpler. For ground beef lovers, this is a very easy way to give the meat a new twist in taste and texture.

Traditionally the meat is taken off the skewer using a pita bread or a piece of flat Iranian bread. It is then sprinkled with sumac, a spice that has no real taste of its own, but which brings out the taste of the brochette wonderfully. The kabobs can be served with Iranian bread or with hot white rice into which you have melted a knob of butter.

1. Combine all the ingredients (ideally, it is best to combine all the ingredients and let them stand in the refrigerator for a few hours, but this is not absolutely necessary);
2. divide the mixture into 12 portions;
3. using your hands, press each portion around the skewer to form a cigar shape (see photo);
4. place on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.