I have made kebabs from minced lamb with many different spices from around
Asia, particularly India and Lebanon, but have never quite managed to
capture the flavours that I have got from the tastiest kebabs, made from
minced lamb, in restaurants, which is perhaps best described as slightly
porky. I use minced neck of lamb from an Asian supplier, which is what I was
advised to do by a chef in an Indian takeaway (when I was working as a
kitchen hand). But perhaps there's more to it; I don't suppose the
restaurants I am thinking of put pork in....? If so, which cut of pork? It's
the meat ingredient, not the spice and vegetable (onion, garlic) ingredient,
that I really suspect, although I'd be most interested to hear any advice as
regards the spice and vegetable ingredient. I tried mixing (with a food
blender) the neck of lamb with a leaner bit of leg of lamb but it turned out
just rather a dry kebab. Does anyone know what the secret is? Perhaps
charcoal grilling or something? That's the way I had the lamb in the Greek
islands (OK, that's not Asia!), and it was truly superb; but still I think
the meat ingredient was the key.
Cheers,
Johnny

Be sure to put more fat( lamb fat from tail) it to make it juicy.
and don't over cook it!

Johnny wrote:
I have made kebabs from minced lamb with many different spices from around
Asia, particularly India and Lebanon, but have never quite managed to
capture the flavours that I have got from the tastiest kebabs, made from
minced lamb, in restaurants, which is perhaps best described as slightly
porky. I use minced neck of lamb from an Asian supplier, which is what I was
advised to do by a chef in an Indian takeaway (when I was working as a
kitchen hand). But perhaps there's more to it; I don't suppose the
restaurants I am thinking of put pork in....? If so, which cut of pork? It's
the meat ingredient, not the spice and vegetable (onion, garlic) ingredient,
that I really suspect, although I'd be most interested to hear any advice as
regards the spice and vegetable ingredient. I tried mixing (with a food
blender) the neck of lamb with a leaner bit of leg of lamb but it turned out
just rather a dry kebab. Does anyone know what the secret is? Perhaps
charcoal grilling or something? That's the way I had the lamb in the Greek
islands (OK, that's not Asia!), and it was truly superb; but still I think
the meat ingredient was the key.
Cheers,
Johnny

On 2006-05-31 21:23:45 +0100, "Johnny" said:

I have made kebabs from minced lamb with many different spices from
around Asia, particularly India and Lebanon, but have never quite
managed to capture the flavours that I have got from the tastiest
kebabs, made from minced lamb, in restaurants, which is perhaps best
described as slightly porky. I use minced neck of lamb from an Asian
supplier, which is what I was advised to do by a chef in an Indian
takeaway (when I was working as a kitchen hand). But perhaps there's
more to it; I don't suppose the restaurants I am thinking of put pork
in....? If so, which cut of pork? It's the meat ingredient, not the
spice and vegetable (onion, garlic) ingredient, that I really suspect,
although I'd be most interested to hear any advice as regards the spice
and vegetable ingredient. I tried mixing (with a food blender) the neck
of lamb with a leaner bit of leg of lamb but it turned out just rather
a dry kebab. Does anyone know what the secret is? Perhaps charcoal
grilling or something? That's the way I had the lamb in the Greek
islands (OK, that's not Asia!), and it was truly superb; but still I
think the meat ingredient was the key.
Cheers,
Johnny

It won't be pork. Most of the places you'd associate with the kind of
kebabs you're describing have sizeable (if not majority) Muslim
populations. I suspect it's a matter of how long the meat has been hung
(long is good) and the fat content. You might also want to try using
some mutton, rather than lamb.

Thanks. You mean there should be higher or lower fat content? Cutting a neck
fillet so it's lean seems to do it good, as far as I can see.
I must say that recently I have been experimenting and trying a different
cut - not neck - of minced lamb (from an ordinary butcher) and find, this,
and also, particularly, grilling on charcoal instead of under an electric
grill make a lot of positive difference.
How would mutton help?
Cheers,
Johnny


"Andrew" wrote in message
news:200607012349088930-thecroft@macunlimitednet...
On 2006-05-31 21:23:45 +0100, "Johnny" said:

I have made kebabs from minced lamb with many different spices from
around Asia, particularly India and Lebanon, but have never quite managed
to capture the flavours that I have got from the tastiest kebabs, made
from minced lamb, in restaurants, which is perhaps best described as
slightly porky. I use minced neck of lamb from an Asian supplier, which
is what I was advised to do by a chef in an Indian takeaway (when I was
working as a kitchen hand). But perhaps there's more to it; I don't
suppose the restaurants I am thinking of put pork in....? If so, which
cut of pork? It's the meat ingredient, not the spice and vegetable
(onion, garlic) ingredient, that I really suspect, although I'd be most
interested to hear any advice as regards the spice and vegetable
ingredient. I tried mixing (with a food blender) the neck of lamb with a
leaner bit of leg of lamb but it turned out just rather a dry kebab. Does
anyone know what the secret is? Perhaps charcoal grilling or something?
That's the way I had the lamb in the Greek islands (OK, that's not
Asia!), and it was truly superb; but still I think the meat ingredient
was the key.
Cheers,
Johnny

It won't be pork. Most of the places you'd associate with the kind of
kebabs you're describing have sizeable (if not majority) Muslim
populations. I suspect it's a matter of how long the meat has been hung
(long is good) and the fat content. You might also want to try using some
mutton, rather than lamb.

On 2006-07-02 00:06:07 +0100, "Johnny" said:

Thanks. You mean there should be higher or lower fat content? Cutting a
neck fillet so it's lean seems to do it good, as far as I can see.
I must say that recently I have been experimenting and trying a
different cut - not neck - of minced lamb (from an ordinary butcher)
and find, this, and also, particularly, grilling on charcoal instead of
under an electric grill make a lot of positive difference.
How would mutton help?
Cheers,
Johnny


"Andrew" wrote in message
news:200607012349088930-thecroft@macunlimitednet...
On 2006-05-31 21:23:45 +0100, "Johnny" said:

I have made kebabs from minced lamb with many different spices from
around Asia, particularly India and Lebanon, but have never quite
managed to capture the flavours that I have got from the tastiest
kebabs, made from minced lamb, in restaurants, which is perhaps best
described as slightly porky. I use minced neck of lamb from an Asian
supplier, which is what I was advised to do by a chef in an Indian
takeaway (when I was working as a kitchen hand). But perhaps there's
more to it; I don't suppose the restaurants I am thinking of put pork
in....? If so, which cut of pork? It's the meat ingredient, not the
spice and vegetable (onion, garlic) ingredient, that I really suspect,
although I'd be most interested to hear any advice as regards the spice
and vegetable ingredient. I tried mixing (with a food blender) the neck
of lamb with a leaner bit of leg of lamb but it turned out just rather
a dry kebab. Does anyone know what the secret is? Perhaps charcoal
grilling or something? That's the way I had the lamb in the Greek
islands (OK, that's not Asia!), and it was truly superb; but still I
think the meat ingredient was the key.
Cheers,
Johnny

It won't be pork. Most of the places you'd associate with the kind of
kebabs you're describing have sizeable (if not majority) Muslim
populations. I suspect it's a matter of how long the meat has been hung
(long is good) and the fat content. You might also want to try using
some mutton, rather than lamb.

I'd suggest a little more fat. As to the mutton, I tend to find mutton
has a richer 'darker' flavour that is more reminiscent of food I've
eaten in Turkey.