Recipe: Uighur Lamb Kebabs

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course
1 pound boneless lamb leg or shoulder
Marinade:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup pomegranate juice, or substitute 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1. Cut the lamb into small pieces, approximately 1-inch square, leaving on a little fat. Set aside.
2. Process the onion to a paste in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining marinade ingredients. Add lamb pieces and stir to coat. Cover and let sit for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. If using bamboo skewers, soak 8 skewers in water for 30 minutes.
4. Thread the pieces of meat onto 8 bamboo or metal skewers. Don’t crowd them: the pieces of meat should barely touch one another.
5. Place the skewers on the hot grill, about 4 to 5 inches from the coals. Grill for 2 minutes on the first side, then turn. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes more, turning periodically to ensure good color and even cooking. Cooking times will vary somewhat depending on whether you use bamboo or metal skewers and on the heat of your grill, and whether you wish to leave the lamb pink in the middle or to cook it right through.
6. Serve on the skewers, on a platter.
From “Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China”
by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid