dining
the dish
Wrapped, skewered, dipped and spiced
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Sampling the culinary traditions of Israel, Iran, India and beyond reveals countless variations in the valley (usually with a kick of heat) By Afsha Bawany | Photography Sabin Orr I’m convinced there’s an art to skewering and grilling meat. Consider the care and thought that goes into a koobideh kabob, for instance. It’s a traditional Persian kabob made of ground chicken, beef, or lamb, marinated and then molded onto narrow metal skewers 20 inches long. Indentations in the kabob keep the meat evenly distributed to capture the heat, and secured so it doesn’t break while it’s turned and grilled on an open flame. Grooves within the kabob and slight char give the koobideh its signature look — like a rippling ribbon of meat. Best of all, you get to eat this art. At Flame Kabob (4440 S. Maryland Parkway, #109, 702-
42 | Desert
Companion | February 2014
476-5544, flamekabobmenu.com), the kabobs hail from the culinary traditions of Southern Iran. Here, the turmeric-tinted chicken koobideh kabob — my usual — sits on a bed of saffroninfused Basmati rice. But don’t dig in just yet. Here’s what you do: Sprinkle sumac — a citruslike spice with a tart kick — on the kabobs, pierce the accompanying charred tomato to unleash its juices, and fork it all up with a dollop of mast-o-khiar, a refreshing and fragrant cucumber and mint yogurt dip. Hints of cumin, cinnamon, rosemary and other mild seasonings run throughout the kabobs, including the tenderloin chicken, lamb, or beef kabobs — cubed pieces of meat marinated for days.
Even kabobs aren’t immune from our mania for convenient cuisine. Kabob rolls are considered quick, filling, and popular takeout in Pakistan. Of all the cuisine the Las Vegas Strip has to offer — wagyu beef, tapas, sushi, steak and lobster combos — there’s also a place to get a Pakistani kabob-roll fix, and that’s at Kabob ’N More (3049 Las Vegas Blvd. S. #5 and #6, 702-432-4611), a hole-in-the-wall with heart. Order the seek chicken kabob wrap ($7.99), minced meat wrapped in thick, soft tandoori bread and speckled with green chilies with notes of garlic, ginger, chili powder, chili flakes and smoky cumin. More adventurous eaters should be ready for spices that bring on some heat, like in Kabob ’N More’s Lahori fried fish, a recipe the chef brought with him from his native Lahore, Pakistan. Marinated with hot sauce, garlic, ginger, lemon, chili powder and other blends (let the chef keep some secrets!), the fish is served with raita, a cilantro-yogurt sauce, to help quell the burn. Kabob ’N More brings together dishes from the Mediterranean, India and Pakistan, so you’ll find hummus, samosas, stews with bone-in chicken and vegetable rice dishes on the menu. But getting back to Indo-Pak cuisine — as Kabob ’N More prides itself on — for dessert, you can’t pass up kheer ($2.99), a thick, milky-white rice pudding sprinkled with green pistachio pieces. Any chance to eat a dosa, a popular street food of the Indian subcontinent, and I’m in. At Mint Indian Bistro (730 E. Flamingo Road #9 and #10, 702-894-9334, mintbistro.com), they’re served plain, stuffed with a medley of spiced potatoes and onions (the masala dosa) or smeared with hot chili chutney (the mysore dosa). Whichever you choose (my favorite is the masala dosa), be sure to dip it in the accompanying creamy coconut chutney and