Adana kebab
Adana kebap: hand-minced spiced lamb pressed onto wide skewers and grilled over charcoal, with sumac onions and lavash
In Adana, on the hot Çukurova plain in southern Turkey, this is the kebab of the ocakbaşı, the grill-side counters where the cook presses fatty lamb mince onto broad flat skewers and sets them over glowing coals. It is meant to be fiery with red pepper flakes, juicy from the lamb fat and wrapped in thin lavash with sumac-dusted onions, parsley and blistered peppers. Make it for a summer barbecue, or under a very hot oven grill on a weeknight. Chef's tip: knead the mince with wet hands for a full 5 minutes until it turns sticky; that is what holds it on the skewer.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kebabs
For the sumac onions
To serve
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb lamb mince, 1 red Romano pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp pul biber (Aleppo-style chilli flakes), 1 tbsp Turkish hot pepper paste (acı biber salçası), 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp ground cumin in a large bowl. Knead with wet hands for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and pale. Wash your hands, the bowl's rim and any surfaces the raw meat touched.
5 minStep 2: Cover and chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. A common mistake is shaping it straight away: warm, soft mince slides off the skewers on the grill.
30 minStep 3: Mix 2 red onions with 1 tbsp sumac and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley and set aside to soften.
Step 4: Divide the meat into 8 portions. With wet hands, squeeze each one around a wide flat metal skewer (or two thin skewers held together) into a 20 cm long, flat kebab, pinching ridges along it with your fingers.
Step 5: Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to glowing coals, or heat an oven grill to its highest setting with the rack 8 cm from the element. Grill 4 long green peppers and 4 tomatoes first until blistered, 5–6 minutes.
6 minStep 6: Grill the kebabs for 8–10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until browned all over and firm when pressed. Because this is mince, cook it through: the centre should reach 160°F on a thermometer, with no pink juices.
10 minStep 7: Warm 4 lavash or thin flatbreads over the grill for a few seconds per side. Lay the kebabs on the bread so it soaks up the juices, rest for 2 minutes, then slide out the skewers.
2 minStep 8: Serve with the sumac onions, grilled vegetables and 1 lemon wedges, wrapping everything up in the bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does adana kebab take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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