Syrian Baked Kebab in Tomato Sauce (Kabab Hindi)
كباب هندي Kabab HindiSay it: kah-BAB HIN-dee
Kabab hindi — literally "Indian kebab" — is a Syrian home classic despite its name: slender fingers of spiced minced meat nestled in a thick sauce of sweet onions and tomatoes, then baked until the top glazes. It appears on everyday lunch tables in Damascus and Aleppo and at family gatherings, always with a mound of rice or warm bread to soak up the sauce. The flavor is gently warm rather than hot, with cinnamon and allspice running through both the meat and the tomatoes. Simple, forgiving and deeply comforting.
Syrian Baked Kebab in Tomato Sauce (Kabab Hindi)
كباب هندي, Kabab Hindi
Pronounced kah-BAB HIN-dee
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the kebab
For the sauce
Method
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Put the grated onion in a sieve over a bowl and press out its juice; keep the juice for the sauce.
In a bowl, knead the meat with the squeezed onion, parsley, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, baharat and chili flakes for 3 minutes, until the mixture is sticky and holds together.
With damp hands, shape the meat into 12–14 short fingers, each about 3 inches (7 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat with a thin film of oil and brown the fingers in batches, about 1–2 minutes per side, until deeply browned outside but still pink within. Set them aside in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
Add the olive oil and sliced onions to the same skillet and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until soft, sweet and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens slightly, then add the crushed tomatoes, water, reserved onion juice, salt, cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and no longer looks watery.
Pour the sauce over the kebab, cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the surface looks glossy.
Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving, so the kebab firms up and the sauce settles.
Regional variants
Some cooks stir a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses into the sauce for a sweet-sour edge, and a handful of toasted pine nuts is scattered over the top before serving. A faster version skips the frying and bakes the raw fingers straight in the sauce, adding 10 minutes to the oven time.
Cook's notes
- Keep the meat and your hands cold while shaping; warm meat makes soft fingers that fall apart in the sauce.
- Squeeze the grated onion well — the juice goes into the sauce, and dry onion keeps the kebab from turning mushy.
- Brown the fingers briefly at high heat; they finish cooking in the oven and stay juicy inside.
Serve with
Plain or vermicelli rice, or warm flatbread, plus a lemony green salad and yogurt.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days covered in the fridge; reheat at 350°F (175°C) with a splash of water, covered, for 20 minutes.
