Chelow kebab (kebab with rice)

Ingredients

For kebabs:

2 medium-sized onions, grated

500 grams (18 ounces) ground meat (lamb)

4 large tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon saffron powder

For rice:

5 cups long-grain white rice

8 cups cold water

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons oil

Serves 4

For kebabs:

1. Bring 3 teaspoons of water to boil and add saffron powder. Set aside for 10 minutes to brew.

2. Over a bowl, rub the onions through a sieve to let all the juice out. In a separate large bowl, mix the drained onion, ground meat, salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron liquid.

3. Divide the mixture into 8 pieces, shaping them into balls.

4. Place a flat metal skewer through each ball, molding them into cylinders. Set aside.

5. Put all 4 tomatoes on a single skewer. Sprinkle with salt.

6. Grill the kebab skewers until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

For rice:

1. Rinse rice in three changes of cold water. Add rice, salt, oil and 8 cups of cold water to a pot and let sit for 1 hour.

2. Place pot over medium-high heat and let cook for about 8 minutes without lid until rice is almost tender. Drain the water.

3. Add some oil to the pot and use a spoon to form rice into a conical shape. Cover pot with a clean dish towel and then place lid on top. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.

4. May serve golden rice crust on the bottom of the pot separately if desired.