How RNK Foods Seekh Kabobs Are Made, Grilled and Frozen

How are RNK Foods seekh kabobs made?

RNK Foods seekh kabobs are hand-mixed, hand-formed, grilled on a lava rock grill and flash-frozen in the Ribs 'n' Kabobs restaurant kitchen in Artesia, CA. The meat is 100% Zabiha Halal beef or chicken, the seasoning is the family's own recipe, and the pack that reaches a freezer in Long Beach or Irvine holds the same kabobs the restaurant serves on a platter. Here is each step, and then the exact cooking times.

RNK Foods is the frozen-food line of the family behind the Ribs 'n' Kabobs restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701. The restaurant, a halal BBQ kitchen in Artesia, has grilled seekh kabobs since 2014. The family recipes go back further, to 1999, which is why the packs say "Momma's Blessed Hands since 1999".

What goes into the kabob mix?

Two products, two meats, one method.

The Beef Seekh Kabobs start with 100% Zabiha Halal ground beef. The Chicken Seekh Kabobs start with 100% Zabiha Halal ground chicken. Both meats come from hand-slaughtered animals, and the kitchen they are made in is certified by the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America.

Into the meat go fresh herbs, onion, garlic, ginger, green chili and the family's blend of traditional spices. We do not publish the amounts. That is the part of the recipe that has stayed in the family since 1999. What we can say is that everything is hand-mixed in the kitchen, in batches small enough that the person mixing can feel when the texture is right.

That last point is why the kabobs are hand-mixed rather than machine-mixed. A seekh kabob mix needs to hold on a skewer and still eat tender. Overworked meat turns dense and rubbery. Underworked meat falls off the skewer on the grill. Hands know the difference.

How are the kabobs formed and grilled?

Each kabob is formed by hand around a skewer and pressed into the long seekh shape. The same person usually mixes and forms a batch, so the kabobs in one pack are consistent in size and seasoning.

Then they go onto the lava rock grill. Lava rock holds heat evenly and gives the outside of the kabob a proper char while the inside stays juicy. It is the same grill the restaurant uses for the Beef Seekh Kabob, Chicken Koobideh and Chicken Malai Kabob on the dine-in menu. The kabobs are grilled before they are frozen, which is why the pack instructions are about heating them through rather than cooking raw meat.

Why flash-freeze instead of selling fresh?

Because a flash-frozen grilled kabob reheats closer to the grill than a kabob that has sat in a refrigerator for two days. Freezing quickly after grilling locks in the juice and the char, and it means a pack can travel in insulated packaging to San Diego or the Inland Empire and still arrive in good shape.

After grilling, the kabobs are cooled and frozen fast, then packed by the pound. One pack is 1 lb of kabobs. Keep it frozen; the chicken pack is best used within six months of purchase.

What are the exact cooking instructions?

These are the instructions from the product pages, and they apply to both the beef and the chicken packs. Cook straight from frozen; no thawing needed.

1. Microwave: heat for 2 to 3 minutes from frozen. The quickest option, and the usual weekday lunch.
2. Pan or skillet: heat a non-stick pan on medium with a teaspoon of oil or butter, add the frozen kabobs and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning often. This brings back the grill flavor.
3. Oven: preheat to 375°F, place the kabobs on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

If you prefer to thaw first, thaw in the refrigerator and then warm in the pan or oven. Reduce the time a little and check that the kabob is hot through.

Method	Heat	Time from frozen
Microwave	High	2 to 3 minutes
Pan or skillet	Medium, a little oil or butter	4 to 6 minutes, turning
Oven	375°F	8 to 10 minutes

For more detail on each method, read how to cook frozen seekh kabobs at home.

How should you serve them?

The restaurant serves seekh kabobs with naan, basmati rice, green salad and mint chutney. At home, the simplest version is warm naan or pita, sliced onion, a squeeze of lemon and whatever chutney is in the fridge. A kabob wrap with a little salad is the usual lunch in our own house, and a plate of kabobs with rice carries a weeknight dinner for a family in Cerritos or Anaheim without much effort.

Where can you buy them?

Online from RNK Foods, with delivery across Southern California only. Orders ship in insulated packaging to ZIP codes starting 900 to 935, which takes in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial and Ventura counties. The shipping policy has the free-shipping threshold. If you are near Artesia, Cerritos or Norwalk, pickup at the restaurant on Norwalk Blvd skips the shipping altogether.