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Uzbek

Uzbek lamb shashlik

Non-vegetarian

Shashlik

Chunks of lamb marinated simply in onion juice, cumin and black pepper, then grilled hot over charcoal. Served with vinegared raw onion and flatbread at every Uzbek choyxona.

Uzbek lamb shashlik is an Uzbek grilled dish, ready in about 4 hours 35 minutes and made with lamb shoulder, onion and cumin. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Skewers of grilled lamb shashlik on a plate with fresh vegetables
Photo: Игоревич / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 35 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
575

Ingredients

5 servings

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the lamb with the grated onion (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), coriander, black pepper (opens in a new tab) and chilli. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Add the salt 30 minutes before grilling.

    Food safety: Marinate raw meat in the fridge, not at room temperature.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Toss the onion (opens in a new tab) rings with the vinegar and a pinch of salt and leave to soften.

    • 3 min
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Thread the lamb onto flat skewers (opens in a new tab), scraping off most of the onion (opens in a new tab). Grill over glowing charcoal or a very hot grill, turning often, until browned outside and just pink inside.

    Food safety: Lamb chunks are safe at 63 °C in the centre with a short rest.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Serve on the skewers (opens in a new tab) over flatbread, topped with the vinegared onions (opens in a new tab) and dill (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedSkewered grilled meat called shashlik is eaten across the former Soviet south; this is the Uzbek style.Also popular in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses · Street food
Cooking method
Grilled, Marinated / cured
Taste
smoky, savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Lamb shoulder · Onion · Cumin · Ground coriander · Red onion · White vinegar
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Dhungar (charcoal smoking) · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom pita bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

575 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 276 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 5%
  • Fat 72%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy575 kcal208 kcal
Protein33.2 g12 g
Carbohydrate7.1 g2.6 g
Net carbohydrate5.8 g2.1 g
Sugars3 g1.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.3 g0.5 g
Fat46.1 g16.7 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat2.3 g0.9 g
Cholesterol120 mg43 mg
Sodium1066 mg386 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
639 mg
Calcium
48 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
46 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
29 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes, dill, pita bread.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Leaving fat on the meat (or alternating with small cubes of lamb fat) keeps the skewers juicy.

Common mistakes

  • Salting the meat long before grilling draws out juice and makes it dry.

Serve with

  • Serve with non, achichuk salad and green tea.

Storage

  • Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly in a hot pan; avoid overcooking.

Variations

  • Lyulya kabob: Minced lamb with onion and spices pressed onto skewers.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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