Main dish

Vegan Kateh Kabab

Vegan Kateh Kabab

(Vegan) Kateh kabab has always been one of my favorite dishes and my mom used to make the best one. When I knew we had it for lunch I couldn’t wait to get back home from school and eat my favorite food.

This vegan kateh kabab would probably not be approved my by mom since I didn’t make the vegan meat from the scratch. I basically used my favorite vegan burger patty and mixed it with fresh herbs and turned it into the kebab that goes inside the rice.

It is the fast food version let’s say, but let me tell you without exaggeration it serves the purpose really well. This dish is so rich and tasty. I made potato tahdig which is Persian style crispy potato that are thinly sliced and layered at the bottom of the pot. By the way if you have’t tried it the you must add it to your bucket list. 

Interesting fact, in Persian cuisine we always eat rice and kabab with grilled tomatoes, sumac and butter and that is one of the most wholesome combinations ever.

Recreating my favorite recipes and make them cruelty free gives me so much satisfaction, and being able to eat my favorite dishes and celebrate my culture without harming any animals is one of the best feelings ever.

Now without further ado let’s get into the details of the recipe

Ingredients for vegan kateh kabab:

I know that this is the fast food version of this recipe but trust me it will make your life easier. Use two of your favorite vegan burger patties, leave them in them the room temperature for 20 minutes and chop some fresh herbs like basil and chives and mix them well. Use that mixture to form a bigger and round patty.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the patty about 4-5 minutes on each side. In the same pan grill the tomatoes.

For the kateh:

– 2 cups Basmati rice

– 4 cups water 

– 1 tablespoon olive oil

– Salt to taste

Instructions:

Rinse the Basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear. 

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed rice to the boiling water and cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until the rice is partially cooked, the rice should still have a slight bite to it. Drain the rice and set it aside.

In the same pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Finely cut the potatoes, pour a bit of diluted saffron under the pot and place the potatoes next to each other.

Divide the rice into two parts, half saffron rice and half plain. First, add the saffron rice on top of the potatoes and then place the patty and the grilled tomatoes and then cover it with plain rice.

Patty and tomatoes

Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the rice to cook undisturbed for about 30-40 minutes. This method creates a crust at the bottom of the pot called “tahdig,” which is the crispy part of kateh and is absolutely delicious.

Flip the pot carefully. You should have the tahdig on the top, then the saffron rice and the white rice on the bottom.

This dish looks very presentable and palatable rich with so many flavors and I am certain that this recipe will become one of your favorite Persian dishes.

Enjoy this vegan version of Kateh kabab with your loved ones.