Turkish Adana Kebap
Servings:
4
Difficulty:
Medium
Ingredients
- 400 g ground lamb or lamb-beef mix, about 15-20% fat
- ½ medium onion, finely minced
- 15 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about a small handful)
- 50-75 g melted butter or finely chopped lamb fat
- 1 tablespoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper) or other mild red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or hot), ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or Urfa chili, ½-1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Lavash or pita bread to serve
- Sliced red onion with sumac, lemon, parsley, and salt
- Grilled tomatoes and green peppers
Instructions
- Very finely chop the onion and parsley (or pulse in a food processor). Put in a sieve or cloth and press/squeeze out excess juice so the mix is not wet.
- In a large bowl, add ground lamb (or lamb-beef mix), onion, parsley, melted butter/fat, pul biber, salt, black pepper, and any optional spices.
- Using your hands, knead the mixture firmly for 2-3 minutes until very sticky and homogeneous; this helps it cling to skewers.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight) so flavors develop and the mixture firms up, making shaping easier.
- Wet your hands lightly. Divide the meat into equal portions. Take a flat metal skewer and press a portion of meat around it, forming a long, flat kebab about 2-3 cm thick, pressing ridges with your fingers along the length.
- Preheat a charcoal grill or grill pan to high. Grill kebabs, turning carefully, until browned and cooked through but still juicy, about 8-10 minutes total depending on thickness and heat.
- You can lightly brush with a little butter during grilling for extra flavor and moisture.
- Slide kebabs off skewers onto warm lavash or pita. Top or serve alongside sumac onions, grilled tomatoes and peppers, and fresh parsley.