Kabab Torsh with Pomegranate, Herb & Walnut

Kabab Torsh is a tasty kabab dish from the north of Iran. It simply translates to “sour kabab”. As you might have heard Iranians love a bit of sour and I’m sure you will love it, too!

The subtle delicious sourness of kabob torsh comes from pomegranate molasses, in which the meat is marinated. The pomegranate molasses is accompanied by chopped walnuts and a herb called chochaagh, from the north of Iran. I’m afraid you can only get your hands on chochaagh in other parts of the world, if you have a Maman who preserves and sends it to you. However the good news is, you can substitute it in this dish with parsley, coriander and mint and still make mouthwatering Kabab Torsh!

As you might know I love a bit of ribeye kabab. For this recipe I’m using ribeye as well, for the following reasons:

1. Ribeye steak has nice marbling throughout, which makes it tender and carries the flavours of the marinade perfectly.

2. The only difficulty with Kabab Torsh is that you don’t want to burn the walnuts and herbs of the marinade before the meat is cooked to perfection. No problemo with ribeye steak! It needs very little time on the bbq, because it’s perfectly medium cooked when it’s nice and pink inside. Hence Kabab Torsh marinade and ribeye steak make best friends.

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Ingredients (for 8 skewers/4 servings)

4 ribeye steaks (800g / 1.8 lbs)

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Parsley (1/2 bunch)

Coriander (1/2 bunch)

Mint (1/2 bunch)

7 whole walnuts

2 cloves garlic

4 tbsp olive oil

Melted butter (optional)

Salt

Time

Marinate: 12h

Grill: 10 min

Prep rice and tomatoes: 40 min

Total: 12h 45 min

Instructions

The day before

Wash the herbs and transfer them to a food processor together with the walnuts, garlic and olive oil. Blend into a paste.

Transfer the paste into a bowl and add the pomegranate molasses. Combine it into a thick paste-like marinade. The pomegranate molasses I use is homemade from Iran. It’s very thick, sticky and really sour. If you use the bottled pomegranate molasses, that can be found in Middle Eastern shops, it probably won’t be as thick. Also it might not be as sour but you can taste the marinade and if it doesn’t taste sour enough, you can add some lemon juice to it.

Don’t add any salt as it will dry out the meat. You can season with salt before grilling.

Cut the steak into bite sized cubes and transfer them to the bowl with the marinade, making sure each piece of meat is generously covered in marinade.

Let it marinate overnight in the fridge in a sealable food container or freezer bag.

On the day

Get your barbecue going.

Like any other Persian kabab, you can serve your Kabab Torsh with grilled tomatoes. If you plan on doing so, wash and skewer them, then stab them a few times with a small kitchen knife.

Skewer the meat, making sure the rich and thick marinade sticks to it. Now you can season them with salt.

If you want to serve your Kabab Torsh with rice, put it on now. You can find my recipe for delicious Kateh style saffron rice here.

First grill the tomatoes as they take longer than the kababs. Once they’re nice and soft you can put them on the top bbq rack if your bbq has one, or transfer them into a pan, leaving them near the bbq to keep them warm.

Now grill your kabab skewers, making sure there is enough distance between the charcoal and meat, so the marinade doesn’t burn. Turn them frequently for the same reason.

You can brush them with olive oil or melted butter to prevent the surface from drying out.

They should be done in a matter of minutes. 8 to 10 minutes altogether are sufficient, if you’re using ribeye. Be careful not to overcook them. Treat them like you would treat an expensive steak!

Once they’re nicely browned, take them off and serve them as quickly as possible with aromatic saffron rice and the grilled tomatoes.

And that’s it! You’re all set to taste some incredibly delicious Kabab Torsh. Enjoy!

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Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your meal!

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Best, Hami