Khlav Kalash Recipe (Lamb Skewers, No Bowl)
2 min read
The Recipe
Khlav Kalash Recipe (Lamb Skewers, No Bowl)
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb mince
- 1 small brown onion, finely grated and squeezed dry
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
- 1 cup (250 g) Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 Lebanese cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated (for the sauce)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt (for the sauce)
Method
- 1Make the sauceStir together the yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate while you make the skewers so the garlic softens into the yoghurt.
- 2Mix the meatIn a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, salt, pepper and parsley. Knead with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture turns sticky and tacky. This is what holds it on the skewer.
- 3Shape the skewersDivide the mixture into 8 portions of about 70 g. With wet hands, press each portion around a skewer into a sausage about 12 cm long and an even thickness. If you have time, chill the shaped skewers for 15 minutes so they firm up.
- 4GrillHeat a barbecue or chargrill pan to medium-high. Brush the skewers with oil and grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until well charred outside and cooked through with no pink in the middle.
- 5ServeServe the skewers hot with the cold yoghurt sauce on the side, and flatbread if you like.
This khlav kalash recipe is spiced lamb mince pressed onto skewers, charred hard, and eaten with cold garlic yoghurt. On the show it's meat on a stick from a New York street cart. This is the one you'd go back to the cart for.
Wear it
Where khlav kalash comes from
Homer is stuck beside his booted car in "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" (S9E1, 1997) and asks the cart for pizza. "No pizza, only Khlav Kalash." He asks for a bowl. "No bowl. Stick. Stick." He calls it awful, then keeps eating.
What it is, whether it is a real food, and the rest of the scene: what is khlav kalash.
- Makes
- 8 skewers
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 10 minutes
- Meat
- Lamb mince
- Sauce
- Garlic and cucumber yoghurt
- Cook it on
- Barbecue or chargrill pan
Why lamb, and why a skewer
The show never says what's in it, and the vendor isn't taking questions. What you can see is meat on a stick, sold hot from a cart. So this is a kofta-style kebab: mince, onion, garlic and warm spices, shaped straight onto the skewer and cooked over high heat. Lamb has the fat to char without drying out. Beef mince works if that's what you have, with a little less salt.
Tips that make it hold
- Squeeze the onion. Grate it, then wring out the juice in your hands or a clean tea towel. Wet onion is the main reason mince slides off a skewer.
- Knead longer than feels right. One to two minutes of working the mince turns it tacky, and tacky mince grips.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes first so they don't burn through. Flat metal skewers grip better than round ones.
- Chill before grilling. Fifteen minutes in the fridge firms the meat so it holds its shape when it hits the heat.
- Turn often. Every couple of minutes keeps the char even and stops one side tearing on the grill.
What to drink with it
The cart offered Homer "Mountain dew or crab juice." He took the crab juice. If you want to do it properly, here is the crab juice recipe.
