Losh Kebab – an Armenian Hamburger Recipe

Name: Losh Kebab
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1¼ lbs. ground lamb (Ground beef may be substituted or combined with the lamb.); ¼ cup onion (finely chopped); ¼ cup fresh parsley (finely chopped); ¼ cup plain dry bread crumbs; 1 egg (beaten); 1 Tbsp. red pepper paste (1 Tbsp. tomato paste plus 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper may be substituted.); 1 tsp. ground coriander (or to taste); ½ tsp. ground allspice; 1 tsp. salt; ½ tsp. ground black pepper; ¼ tsp. Aleppo red pepper (optional)

1 year ago

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One of our go-to recipes is good-old losh kebab – an Armenian ‘hamburger’ which is much like lule kebab.

‘Lule’ means ‘rolled’ and clearly refers to its sausage shape. Losh kebab generally uses the same meat mixture recipe as lule kebabs; the only difference is that Losh kebabs are shaped like traditional hamburgers.

Losh kebab is particularly popular with Armenians in New England, however, as New Englanders settled in other areas, their losh kebab recipe and popularity traveled with them.

In 2012, Tom Vartabedian, a dear departed friend from New England, wrote this article for The Armenian Weekly singing the praises of losh kebab.

Losh kebab patties sizzle on the grill at the Lowell Folk Festival, MA, 2012. Photo from ‘The Armenian Weekly’

Losh Kebab

It's shaped like a hamburger, but tastes like Armenian lule kebab due to its special ingredients.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

1¼ lbs. ground lamb Ground beef may be substituted or combined with the lamb.
¼ cup onion finely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
¼ cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1 Tbsp. red pepper paste 1 Tbsp. tomato paste plus 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper may be substituted.
1 tsp. ground coriander or to taste
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. Aleppo red pepper optional

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, combine the beaten egg, red pepper (or tomato) paste, and seasonings. Blend well. Set aside.
Place meat, onions, parsley, and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix well. Add the egg mixture to the meat, mixing well until all ingredients are well-blended. (NOTE: If you’re squeamish about handling raw meat and egg, you may want to wear non-powdered, sterile, disposable food preparation gloves for this step.)
Shape mixture into 4 or 5 good-sized patties.
These can be grilled, broiled, or pan-grilled to your preferred degree of doneness.
Serve with your choice of bread and your favorite side dishes.
Optional toppings: sliced tomato, onion, lettuce, * yogurt-garlic sauce - see recipe below in Notes.

Notes

*Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

16 oz. plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Mix well.

2. Chill until ready to serve, allowing flavors to blend. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

NOTE: If you want a thicker sauce, use Greek yogurt or labne which is made fromGreek yogurt by lining a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the lined strainer. Cover with additional cheesecloth and weight it down. Place all in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Discard the excess liquid that collected in the bowl, and place the thickened yogurt (labne) in a separate storage container. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

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Mary Page says:

March 2, 2023 at 7:42 pm

We grilled some patties in our Big Green Egg grill. My husband loved it, as did I! Absolutely delicious and seasoned perfectly!