Chelo kabab refers to an Iranian dish of rice with broiled lamb. Chelo kabab is the queen of all kababs and is a specialty of Iran. Most foreign tourists know what Shish kabab is, and many of them have already tried it either in Middle Eastern restaurants or have made it themselves at home. But be sure you have never tasted chelo kabab unless you have visited Iran.

Chelo kabab is derived form two words; chelo, meaning cooked rice, and kabab, meaning broiled meat or fowl. To prepare the real chelo kabab one should use fillet or lamb. But since that part of the lamb is hard to obtain in some countries, leg of lamb or sometimes shoulder of lamb are good substitutes. The secret of good and tasty chelo kabab lies in marinating of the meat. The meat should be properly marinated in onion juice and sometimes in yogurt for a day or two.

There is an old Iranian tradition as to how one should eat chelo kabab is to put plenty of chelo in a plate, make a small hole in the center of it, put an egg yolk in it, then plenty of butter, the broiled kabab, and a teaspoon or two of sumac over it. Mix these ingredient well and start eating. This description and this combination, certainly, sounds very odd, but it is extremely delicious and quite different in taste.