Kebab as such, in the view of most people of non-eastern nationalities, is, roughly speaking, cutlets strung on skewers and baked on the grill. And such an opinion, in principle, is true. However, there is a special gourmet unification - tava-kebab meatballs, the recipe of which Azerbaijani cuisine shared with the world. And the most pleasant thing in them is that this dish is not laid on an open fire, but in the most ordinary oven. So the true taste can easily be embodied in your kitchen, without departing from the recipe.
Tava kebab by all the rules
To get a real gourmet meal, tava kebabs are supposed to be cooked from lamb. 750 grams of meat and two large onions are ground in a meat grinder, seasoned with salt and pepper and carefully knead. Small round balls are molded from the meat, slightly flattened and fried in creamy ghee without any breading. Two more chopped onions are covered with a spoonful of sugar, sprinkled with a stack of wine vinegar and left to pickle. The fried tava-kebab meatballs are laid out in a mold, filled with eggs (8 pieces), beaten and mixed with chopped dill, cilantro and mint. It remains to add the onion sauce, place in the oven and bake until an omelet is formed.
Cooking options
Classical Azerbaijani cuisine offers another version of the recipe, according to which a delicious meal is prepared - tava-kebab meatballs. Firstly, instead of onion sauce, you can make tomato. For him, the skin is removed from a third of a kilogram of fresh tomatoes, the places of attachment to the bush are removed and the seeds are cleaned. Vegetables are processed in mashed potatoes. Onions, which were pickled in the previous recipe, are stewed in vegetable oil for this option; as it becomes soft - added gruel from tomatoes. Further actions are the same.
It is also not necessary to bake exclusively tava kebab. The recipe allows you to make the dish completely independent, not needing a side dish. To do this, the meatballs laid out in a form are lined with large slices of potato fried in advance. All components are poured with sauce and eggs, and only after that the pan is sent to the oven.
Fish tava kebab
No less gourmet food - tava kebab from fish. True, they will need such exotic ingredients as boiled chestnuts (you can find if you wish) and narsherab sauce. The latter can be done independently, by evaporating real pomegranate juice to a density and adding spices to it - pepper, cinnamon, basil and coriander. For minced meat, a kilo of fish without skin and bones is ground with a slice of soaked bread, onion and 16 chestnuts. Grated carrots and pepper and salt are added to the mass. Since fish tava kebabs have a very delicate texture, they are breaded in breadcrumbs before frying. But baking is not provided: it is necessary to fry until final readiness. Put the finished dish on plates, pour with narsherab and sprinkle with chopped herbs.
Enjoy the culinary achievements of Azerbaijan!