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Kebab karaz
Lamb meatballs in sour cherry sauce
Kebab karaz: Aleppo lamb meatballs in a glossy sour-cherry sauce over flatbread
Kebab karaz is Aleppo's most celebrated dish, cooked in early summer when the small, sour cherries (wild mahaleb cherries in the old days) come into season. Little grilled or fried lamb meatballs are simmered briefly in a deep red, sweet-sour cherry sauce, then served on pieces of flatbread that soak up the juices, scattered with parsley and pine nuts. It is rich, fruity and quite unlike anything else in the Levant. Common mistake: using sweet cherries alone — the sauce turns jammy; you need sour cherries, or sweet ones sharpened with lemon and pomegranate molasses. Chef's tip: frozen pitted sour cherries work perfectly all year round.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 ⅓ lb lamb mince
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the cherry sauce
- 1 ⅛ lb sour cherriespitted, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp sugarto taste
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
To serve
- 2 Arabic flatbreadtorn into pieces
- 1 oz pine nutstoasted
- ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Knead 1 ⅓ lb lamb mince with 1 tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp salt for 2 minutes and roll into balls the size of a large marble (about 40). Chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Put 1 ⅛ lb sour cherries, ¾ cup water, 2 tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon in a wide pan and simmer for 10 minutes until the cherries are soft. Crush about half with a spoon to thicken the sauce.
10 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches for 5–6 minutes, rolling them, until browned all over.
12 minStep 4: Add the meatballs to the cherry sauce with 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the sauce is glossy and the meatballs are cooked through to 160°F.
10 minStep 5: Lay 2 Arabic flatbread on a warm platter, spoon over the meatballs and sauce, and scatter with 1 oz pine nuts and ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kebab karaz take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of ground cinnamon?
- A cinnamon stick, ground: about ½ tsp per stick.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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