Persian Grill Counter · Skewered Kebab

Koobideh Kebab

Photo: Amin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The mince is kneaded by hand until it turns almost sticky before it's molded flat onto wide skewers — that working of the meat is what keeps the kebab from crumbling apart over the coals, with no filler or casing to hold it together.

Koobideh is skewered, charcoal-grilled minced lamb or beef seasoned simply with grated onion, salt, and pepper, pressed onto flat metal skewers and served over saffron rice or tucked into flatbread. Dubai's long-running Iranian grill houses around Bur Dubai and Deira have served it for decades.

Why it's made this way: Iranian merchant families were among Dubai's earliest resident trading communities, and their grill restaurants turned a home-style Persian kebab into one of the city's most reliable, decades-old meals.