Chelo Kebab

To prepare kebabs, place onions and garlic in food processor; process 2 to 3 minutes or until pureed. Combine pureed onion mixture, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add lamb; seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat or broiler.

Remove lamb from bag; discard marinade. Thread lamb onto 6 (10-inch) metal skewers; thread tomatoes onto 2 or 3 (10-inch) metal skewers. Place skewers on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook tomatoes 4 to 5 minutes and lamb 10 to 12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning occasionally.

To prepare chelo, place rice in a fine sieve; rinse 1 to 2 minutes with warm running water. Drain. Bring 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over high heat. Add rice; boil, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Rice will be slightly crunchy.) Drain rice through a sieve into a bowl, reserving rice and cooking liquid. Rinse rice with warm running water.

Combine 2 tablespoons reserved rice cooking liquid, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon oil, and saffron in nonstick skillet; place over high heat. Add one-third of rice, stirring to coat. Spread evenly over bottom of pan. Add remaining rice (do not stir), spreading evenly. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Place a clean dish towel over rice, folding towel to fit within perimeter of pan. Cover pan with lid. Cook over high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until rice begins to brown on bottom. Reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until rice is tender and a crisp, browned layer forms on bottom of pan. Remove lid and towel; invert rice onto a plate.

Spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto each of 6 plates. Remove tomatoes from skewers. Place a lamb skewer and 3 tomatoes on each plate. Combine green onions, mint, and cilantro; sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each serving. Serve with lemon wedges.