AI-generated image
İskender kebab
İskender kebap: thin slices of seared lamb over buttery pide, with tomato sauce, cool yogurt and sizzling browned butter
İskender comes from Bursa, the old Ottoman capital below Mount Uludağ, where restaurants have served it since the late 1800s and families still queue for it at weekend lunch. Shavings of grilled meat are laid over cubes of soft pide, soaked in a buttery tomato sauce and finished at the table with a pour of foaming brown butter beside a mound of thick yogurt. Without a vertical döner grill at home, very thin slices of marinated lamb leg seared fast in a hot pan get you close: crisp at the edges, juicy in the middle. Serve it with roasted green peppers and a glass of ayran. Chef's tip: partly freeze the meat for 30–40 minutes before slicing; it firms up and you can cut it almost as thin as döner shavings.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the meat
For the tomato sauce
To serve
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Slice the chilled 1 ⅓ lb boneless lamb leg or beef sirloin across the grain as thinly as you can, 2–3 mm. Use a separate board and knife for the raw meat and wash them in hot soapy water afterwards.
Step 2: Mix the juice from 1 onion with 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Toss the meat in it, cover and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to 12 hours.
60 minStep 3: For the sauce, melt 1 oz butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) and fry for 1 minute until it darkens slightly, then whisk in ¾ cup hot water and 1 pinch sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes until it coats a spoon, then keep warm.
6 minStep 4: Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan until very hot. Blister 4 long green peppers and 4 small tomatoes for 4–5 minutes, turning, until charred in spots, then set aside.
5 minStep 5: Toast the 2 pide or soft flatbread squares in the dry pan or under the grill for 2–3 minutes until warm and just crisp at the edges. Divide between four warm plates.
3 minStep 6: Add 1 ½ tbsp olive oil to the hot pan and sear the meat in three or four small batches for 1–2 minutes each, tossing once, until browned with no pink juices left. A common mistake is crowding the pan: the slices then stew grey instead of crisping. Keep each batch warm while you cook the rest.
8 minStep 7: Spoon half the hot tomato sauce over the bread so it soaks in, pile the meat on top and spoon the rest of the sauce over the meat. Add a big spoonful of 14 oz thick plain yogurt to the side of each plate with the peppers and tomatoes.
Step 8: Melt 2 ⅛ oz butter in a small pan until it foams and smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Pour it, sizzling, over the meat at the table and eat straight away while the bread is still half crisp.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does i̇skender kebab take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Anhui bamboo shoots with ham
When the spring bamboo shoots push up through the hillsides of Huizhou, farmhouse kitchens braise them with chunks of the region's cured ham. The salty, deep-flavoured ham seasons the broth, and the shoots soak it up while keeping their crunch and gentle sweetness. Serve it as a side dish with rice and other plates, or as a light lunch by itself. Fresh bamboo shoots must be peeled and boiled before use, because raw shoots contain natural toxins; canned shoots are already cooked and only need rinsing. Chef's tip: taste the broth before adding any salt, as the ham often brings all the salt the dish needs.
Peking duck (home style)
Beijing's famous roast duck is a banquet showpiece, carved at the table in restaurants near Qianmen and eaten in thin wheat pancakes with sticks of cucumber, spring onion and a smear of sweet bean sauce. Restaurants use hanging ovens and inflate the skin with air; at home a scald with boiling water, a sweet vinegar glaze and a night uncovered in the fridge get you most of the way there. The prize is the lacquered, glass-crisp skin, with the meat underneath still juicy. Serve it as the centrepiece of a family feast, followed by a simple soup made from the carcass. Chef's tip: dry the duck uncovered on a rack in the fridge for at least 12 hours; a dry skin is the whole secret.
Beef and broccoli stir-fry
A quick coat of cornflour and soy keeps thin slices of beef silky, and a hot wok gives the broccoli char without overcooking it. Faster than ordering in.