The first dish I order whenever I am in a lebanese/syrian restaurant is the ” kebab karaz”. it is a dish made with lamb meatballs with sweet and sour cherry sauce.
the secret to the success of this recipe is the cherries , you need those perfectly balanced cherries. they should have the perfect sweet/sour flavor requested for the recipe. those sweet/sour cherries have many names depending from country to country and from place to place .
they are called Vachna cherry or Wachna cherry and for us in Lebanon you will find that kind of sweet/sour cherries in the high mountain towns like “Tannourine” ” Laklouk” and many more.
If you don’t have an access for fresh cherries , you can find them in the freeze fruits section under the name “Vachna” cherries or any cherry brand with the description sweet and sour taste on it!
Now back to the recipe, this is mainly presented as a side or “mezza” platter not a main course . so I wanted to develop this recipe and play a little bit with it so it will be a balanced meal for lunch or for dinner.
in restaurants or the traditional recipe usually use a ton of sugar or cow milk ghee and I didn’t want to kill the taste of the real cherry with the sugar.
so I tried my own cooking-concept version of this recipe and came up with this amazing balanced and delicious meal . it is tasty with a perfect sweet/sour balance in it fresh and with no need for the extra sugar and fat.we complete it with some mashed potato or some rice side dish.
just amazing! try it out and let me know what you think of my own version of this authentic plate.
sweet and sour cherry kebab
I tried my own cooking-concept version of this authentic Arabic recipe and came up with this amazing balanced and delicious meal . it have a fresh taste with a perfect sweet/sour balance with no need for the extra sugar and fat.
Ingredients
for the meatballs
- 600 g minced lean beef
- 1 big onion grated
- 4 gloves garlic minced
- 4 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp grounded cinnamon
- 1 tsp sweet pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp grounded nutmeg
- 1 tsp seven spices
for the cherry sauce
- 2 cups vachna* cored Cherry can be frozen
- 4 onions slice into wedges
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil *
for garnish:
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
Instructions
for the meatballs
- mix all the ingredients together and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- after 30 minutes remove from fridge and form into balls equal to the size of a walnut. around 1/2 tbsp per ball.I cooked mine in an air-fryer but you can wipe a non-sticking pan with some oil and grill the meatballs turning over occasional so it brown evenly for about 5-7 minutes. set aside while preparing the cherry sauce.
for the cherry sauce
- soak your cherries for 30 minutes and drain it well before start cooking with it.keep 1 cup of the cherry water.
- heat the oil in a non stick deep pan .add the onion and saute until it turn transparent.
- add the cherry, lemon juice, cinnamon stick and 1/2 cup of the cherry water.bring to boil . lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes till thicken.
- add the meatballs and let it simmer for an extra 10 minutes so the meatballs are completely done.if the sauce get to dry after simmering you can add the remaining 1/2 cup of the cherry water and simmer it for an extra 5 minutes.
for serving
- sprinkle the parsley and pine nuts on top of it and serve it with some mashed potato , rice or toasted Arabic bread on the side.enjoy!
Notes
vachna cherry or wachna cherry is a type of cherry that have a sweet and sour taste , it is normally Turkish or Serbian cherry that you can find in the frozen section.
if yo don't have rapeseed oil you can use any kind of neutral vegetable oil .
the traditional recipe serve this dish on a base of Arabic toasted pitta but to make it a balanced meal a serve it with some mashed potato or steamed rice.