Kebab means cooked and roasted. There are more than 40 different types of kebabs throughout Turkey. Adana and Urfa kebab are probably the most common ones in Istanbul. In almost every kebab restaurant you will be able to find these kebabs named after the cities Adana and Urfa. There is always a competition among these cities about whose kebab is the best. For me the Adana is always too spicy.
Traditionally lamb is used. It is cut to tiny pieces with a special knife. It is kneaded and prepared only with salt and black pepper. Not to forget the tail fat. This tail fat part is too challenging for me so I prefer not to use it. I use some vegetables instead. You cannot have the authentic Urfa kebab if you are not using the meat of the animals coming from Urfa anyway. However I am sure that you will enjoy this delicious dish.
I use wooden sticks and place them on an oven tray and turn sides once. Preparing the onion mixture and serving with a piece of heated pita bread will make it perfect. Do not forget the Tavern Style Bulgur Pilaf.
If you want to prepare Urfa kebab in your kitchen try my recipe. Tested and tasted many times.
I hope you will enjoy it.
Urfa Kebab
Ingredients
Kebab
- 1 kilogram ground meat lamb, medium fat, arm
- 1 tomato
- 1 red pepper
- 5-6 sprigs parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 18-20 flat short wooden sticks
Garnish
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon sumac or red pepper flakes and a few drops of lemon
- 5-6 sprigs parsley
- 8-10 flat pita bread sliced
- 100 grams butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Kebab
- Wash and take out the seeds of the tomato and the red pepper. Peel the onion.
- Use a food processor to cut to small pieces the onion, tomato and the red pepper.
- Then place a wire colander over a pot and pour this tomato/pepper/onion mixture into it. Press the mixture down with the back of a wooden spoon or a ladle or your palm to take out the excess water.
- Then in a mixing bowl add the meat, all the spices and this tomato/pepper/onion mixture and start kneading. You need to knead about 30 minutes. The longer the better.
- Rest the kebab dough in the fridge for half an hour.
- Then get a bowl of clean water handy and start shaping. Take a handfull of the mixture in your hand. Turn it into a small orange sized ball. Wet the wooden stick and stick it into this ball. Turn the meat around to go downwards the stick to get a kebab shape. You might need to wet your hand while doing this, as the meat might stick in your hand or you might need to use the water to mend any cracks.
- When you are finished with the kebab shaping cook in a preheated oven at 220 degrees using the grilling function. Turn side when one side is done.
- The kebab will be cooked pretty quickly – in around 20 minutes you will be ready to serve.
Garnish
- Cut the onion into half and then cut to thin slices. Do not chop.
- Add a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and/or sumac together with well chopped parsley stalks to the onions. Knead the onions with your hand to make sure all the spices are well combined and the onions loosen up.
- Melt the butter.
- Heat up the the pita bread and place on serving plates. Pour the butter on top of each bread and place 1-2 sticks of kebab on each plate. You can keep the meat on the sticks, or slide them out before serving. Add some onion mixture on each plate.