Lebanese Venison Kafta Kebabs Recipe
Ground venison mixed with parsley, garlic, and a ton of spices, delicious cucumber yogurt sauce, and turmeric rice with vermicelli. This meal is a flavor explosion, and an excellent way to prepare some of that ground deer meat you’ve got in the freezer.
Lebanese Venison Kafta Kebabs Recipe
6
servings40
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- Venison Kafta Kebabs
2 lbs Venison, ground
1 small Yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon Ground sumac
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground cardamom
2 teaspoons Cumin
2 teaspoons Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup Beef tallow or lard, softened
- Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
2 cups Full-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 English Cucumber, chopped into very small pieces
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Mint leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Turmeric Rice with Vermicelli
2 cups Long grain rice (white rice or basmati)
1/3 cup Vermicelli, broken up into 1-inch long pieces
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups Chicken stock
1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions
- Venison Kafta Kebabs
- Combine all ingredients and thoroughly mix with hands or a mixer, until everything is very well incorporated. Cover the meat mixture and refrigerate for between 5 and 10 hours.
- Divide meat mixture into 6 portions. Form each portion into a ball, and press it onto a large skewer. Gently squeezing and pulling, spread the mixture along the length of the skewer until it is a consistently-thick tube of meat.
- Brush each kebab with olive oil. Grill on medium heat, turning every few minutes. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit and immediately remove from heat.
- Serve.
- Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
- Place cucumber pieces in bowl and sprinkle Kosher salt over top. Gently stir it all together, and then let it sit for 20-30 minutes. The salt will pull excess moisture from the cucumber.
- Strain the cucumber to remove excess moisture. Optionally, pat even more dry with some paper towel.
- Mix yogurt, garlic, and mint into the cucumbers. Whisk until everything if very well incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Turmeric Rice with Vermicelli
- Thoroughly rinse the dry rice, and then drain it.
- Melt butter in a large skillet. Then add vermicelli pieces, and toast them in the butter on medium heat until they are golden brown. Then stir in the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add the rinsed rice to the skillet and stir everything together. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the chicken stock, turmeric, and salt. Then bring it all up to a boil on high heat, and immediately reduce heat to very low.
- Cover the pan and let it cook on very low heat for 25 minutes.
- Fluff the finished rice with a fork and serve.
