Cherry kebab balances tart cherries with meat and bread. Sour cherries differ greatly from sweet fresh cherries or jam. Taste the sauce and adjust sweetness gradually rather than allowing sugar to mask the meat.
Ingredients
For four portions, use 600 g lamb or beef mince, 400 g pitted sour cherries if available, and one teaspoon pomegranate molasses, increasing to taste. Prepare an optional initial teaspoon sugar, a little water, salt, pepper and a pinch of spices. Serve with Arabic bread, parsley and optional pine nuts.
If sour cherries are unavailable, use unsweetened cherries and carefully adjust acidity as a home variation. Do not substitute an equal quantity of jam: its sugar concentration and texture may make the sauce excessively sweet.
Meatballs
Season mince moderately and shape small, even balls. Brown in a pan or oven until set and coloured, then finish in sauce. Large balls take longer and may reduce the sauce too far before their centres cook.
Cook a test piece to check salt before shaping the batch. Keep meat chilled. If your version includes onion, avoid excessive onion water so the balls hold their shape.
Cherry sauce and assembly
Gently heat cherries with a little water until they release juice. Add pomegranate molasses, then sugar only if needed for balance. Crush some cherries and leave others whole for texture, carefully removing any remaining stones.
Add meatballs and simmer until their centres reach 71°C. Thin an overly thick sauce with a little hot water. Arrange bread, meat and sauce shortly before serving, then add parsley and pine nuts.
Can cherry kebab be prepared ahead?
Cook meat and sauce, cool promptly and refrigerate. Reheat to 74°C and combine with bread at service. Storing bread in the sauce changes its texture substantially.
Related products from ALRAQI MEATS
Local Naimi Lamb Mince - 1 kg, or Beef Mince - 1 kg. Check the product page for weight, ingredients and cutting options before ordering. Choose a cut suited to the cooking method; a boneless or mixed-meat label alone does not guarantee suitability for quick cooking.
Further guidance
Safe minimum cooking temperatures, Refrigerated food storage.