Syrian Cherry Meatballs – Kebab Karaz
This dish is a jewel of Syrian cuisine with a fantastic balance of sweet and sour. It is a specialty of the city of Aleppo. As such, these Syrian meatballs are defined by the lovely Aleppo seven-spice blend that brings them so much flavor. Cooked in a delicious sauce, cherries bring the sweetness, while tamarind brings a zing of tartness. Serve over rice or couscous to soak up the tasty sauce. You could even serve in a pita if you let the sauce get nice and thick.
Despite the long ingredient list, this is an easy recipe to put together! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Syrian cuisine
Syrian cuisine has a lot in common with other Levantine cuisines. It’s known for its mezze (appetizers) served with flatbread: hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, or halloumi cheese to name a few well-known ones. Also well-known are their dessert pastries steeped in honey syrup and their kebabs (grilled meats). In America, “kebab” is synonymous with shish kebab (roasted on a skewer), whereas here in France “kebab” is understood to be a doner kebab (served in bread, like a gyro). Syrian cherry meatballs are also kebab, despite being stewed. They’re called kebab karaz (or kebab bil karaz) in Arabic.
Syrian cherry meatballs have a strong link to Sephardic Jewish cuisine. This branch of Jewish cuisine likes to feature sweet and sour combinations, dried fruit, and tamarind as well as spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and allspice. And all of these elements appear in Syrian cherry meatballs!
Ingredient notes:
The traditional (and best!) cherries to use for Syrian cherry meatballs are sour cherries, specifically Aleppo or Montmorency cherries. These bring a lovely, rich flavor to the dish. I use canned cherries in light syrup here.
Aleppo seven spice is the spice blend that makes this recipe stand out. It’s not in every recipe for Syrian cherry meatballs, but it is an authentic taste of Aleppo. Well, an authentic taste that doesn’t have a set list of spices. That is to say, the identity of the seven spices varies from one blend to another. The three that are always included are allspice, black pepper, and cinnamon. The other spices may include cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and sometimes galangal or coriander. This spice blend is also sometimes called baharat, though baharat has even more variations in different regions and countries. In this recipe, the seven spices are broken out individually since the blend isn’t sold where I live.
This recipe also calls for Aleppo pepper. Aleppo pepper is a moderately-spicy chili pepper with some well-rounded fruity notes. Since it’s not sold everywhere, feel free to substitute other dried hot pepper, such as ancho, piment d’Espelette, or even classic Cayenne.
Tamarind paste is a key ingredient for Syrian cherry meatballs, but it can be hard to find depending on where you live. It is very sour and tangy and slightly sweet with the consistency of molasses. Substitutes for tamarind paste include pomegranate molasses or a 1:1 mixture of lemon juice and brown sugar. In both cases you would use the same amount as called for tamarind paste in the recipe.
For the ground beef, I prefer using ground beef that is 15% or 20% fat to avoid dry meatballs.
Syrian Cherry Meatballs – Kebab Karaz
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef or lamb
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper or other hot pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 1/16 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
- 1/16 tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 40 g (¼ cup) fine breadcrumbs
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 250 ml (1 cup) beef broth
- 250 ml (1 cup) red wine
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 350 g (12.3 oz) pitted sour cherries from 1 jar in light syrup
- 60 ml (¼ cup) light syrup from cherry jar
- 65 g (1/2 cup) dried cherries or cranberries
- ¾ tsp allspice
- Black pepper
- Salt to taste depending on saltiness of beef broth
For serving:
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Pine nuts
- Rice
Instructions
- Prepare the meatballs: Mix all the meatball ingredients together by hand, being sure to evenly sprinkle the spices over the meat (or premix the spices before adding). Form into golf-ball-sized meatballs, and set aside.
- Sauté & simmer: In a large, wide pan with a lid, sauté the onions in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the meatballs and brown on a couple sides. Add all the other sauce ingredients to the pan. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 15 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Serve: Sprinkle 2 tbsp chopped cilantro and 1 tbsp pine nuts over the meatballs before serving. Serve over rice.
Notes
- For the hot pepper, Aleppo pepper is the most authentic, but feel free to use Cayenne or even chili paste. You can add more or less depending on how much heat you like. For this recipe, the hot pepper boosts the flavor, but it’s not supposed to be spicy.