I first tried Adana kebab in Istanbul and absolutely loved it. Adana kebab (or kebap) is a ground meat skewer made with a mix of lamb and beef that's seasoned with red pepper, chili, garlic and paprika. My recipe is easy and bursting with flavor!
Where is Adana Kebap from?
Adana Kebab is a culinary pride of Turkey and originated from the city of Adana. It's traditionally made with high-quality minced lamb and beef with fat from sheep's tail, which is supposed to be super tender as it melts. The use of spices are super minimal and an authentic recipe would contain mild and slightly sweet red peppers called Kapia.
Authentic Method of Preparation:
The authentic preparation of Adana Kebab involves a meticulous process where the meat is finely minced with the help of a long knife called Zırh Bıçağıt. It is a long, narrow blade with a slightly curved edge, specifically designed for chopping meat really fine. Then, it's seasoned with a combination of simple spices like Kapia peppers, chili for heat, garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Once the meat is seasoned to perfection, it's carefully shaped onto long, flat metal skewers, known as "shish." These skewers are common throughout Middle Eastern cuisine.
Watch how to make Adana Kebap
Tips for Perfect Adana Kebab:
Here are my best tips to ensure that your Adana Kebab turns out delicious:
- Quality Ingredients: The key to the best-tasting food starts with good-quality ingredients. Ask your butcher for half lamb and half beef and to run it single grind.
- Lean to Fat ratio: Kebabs taste the best when you have at least 20% fat in the mince. This will ensure your kebab doesn't fall off the skewer. I cannot stress this enough!
- Squeeze out the red pepper: Liquid will make the kebab fall off the skewer. You MUST strain the chopped bell peppers using a cheesecloth or kitchen towel.
- Simple Seasoning: Unlike the very popular and my viral Pakistani Seekh Kebabs, Turkish Kebabs are mellow on spices. Don't overdo the spices, because then you'll just end up with kebabs from a different region.
- Cooking Technique: If you have an outdoor charcoal grill, nothing beats that. Absolutely nothing. But if you don't, the oven will do.
- Serve with Accompaniments: Adana Kebab is traditionally served with lavash and a simple sumac salad. I love serving this with cilantro raita/chutney.
What's the difference between Adana Kebab and Seekh kebab:
There is a big difference in Kebab preparation in Pakistan and other South Asian countries. Pakistani food tends to lean more into spices than Middle Eastern cuisine. My Seekh kebabs are loaded with seasoning and spices. Adana Kebap just uses fresh pepper, garlic, salt, red chili and paprika. Some recipes will add a lot more spices but the absolutely authentic recipe has minimal ingredients and I tried to honor that.
How to prepare the skewers?
First thing's first, I like to keep to the tradition when mixing ingredients into the meat. Instead of kneading the ground meat, I used my large knife and ran it through the ground meat. Remember, that for this recipe, you need to use single grind meat which is little chunkier than the ground meat you will find readymade at the grocery store. I basically run my knife through the meat and keep mixing till I can see the web of fat thread through (see my video for demonstration on how to use the knife).
Ingredients for Adana Kebab:
Now, let's take a closer look at the ingredients you'll need to create Adana Kebab:
Lamb and beef: The recipe calls for 50% lamb and 50% beef for the best tasting Adana kebab. But you can totally just grab all beef or all lamb if you prefer. Make sure to get at least 20% fat. If you can find fat from sheep's tail, I envy you.
Red Bell Pepper or any mini sweet pepper: The authentic pepper to use for this recipe is Kapia peppers. They are mildly sweet, not spicy and shaped like a jalapeno with a tapered bottom. Kapia isn't easily available so sub out for red bell pepper.
Green Chilis for heat: Depending on your preference.
Garlic: Always a must in kebabs or anything I'm cooking.
Spices: Red chili flakes, paprika and salt.
How to Shape Skewers and Cook Adana Kebab:
- Soak Wooden Skewers: If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling the kebabs. This prevents them from burning during grilling. If you want to mimic the flat skewers called "shish" that are traditionally used, then place 3-4 bamboo skewers next to each other and wrap them together in an aluminum foil securing the edges really well. This method doesn't require soaking as the aluminum foil will prevent the skewers from burning. Plus, you can discard and reuse the skewers.
- Forming the Kebabs: Take a handful of the seasoned meat mixture and mold it onto your skewer. Use your hands to shape the meat evenly along the length of the skewer, pressing firmly to ensure it adheres together.
- Creating the Signature Indentation: With your thumb and forefinger, gently press down along the length of the kebab to create indentations. This helps the meat adhere to the skewer and prevents it from sliding off during grilling. Plus, they look pretty fancy like you just got them from the restaurant.
- Uniform thickness: Aim for uniform thickness and size across all the kebabs to ensure even cooking. Smooth out any rough edges or uneven spots to create a neat shape.
- Best cooking method: I grill the kebabs on an open flame in the video, but I also love cooking them in the oven. The oven does tend to dry them out a bit but it's still very delicious.
Turkish Adana Kebab with red pepper and sumac onion salad
Ingredients
- ½ lb lamb
- ½ lb beef
- ¾ red bell pepper finely chopped
- ½ red or green chilli use full for more heat
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1-2 teaspoon red chili flakes adjust your desired spice preference
- ¾ tsp paprika
Sumac Salad
- 1 red onin thinly sliced
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- 1-2 teaspoon sumac
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Ask your butcher to mince your meat once, which is called a “single grind.”
- In your meat, add the spices and your strained red peppers. Straining is important to remove as much juice to ensure your kebab doesn’t fall off the skewer. Use a sieve and press the chopped peppers down if you don’t have a cheesecloth. You can also use a paper towel like I did in the video.
- Instead of kneading the dough, we want to use a knife and chop it up, which is traditionally the method used to prepare Adana kebap.
- If you can't be bothered, just mix it with your hands until the web of fat runs through the meat and you're able to scoop up the meat in one massive mound.
- Divide the meat into 6-7 golf ball sized rounds and thread onto flat skewers. Wet your hands with water to massage the meat down the length of the skewer and create indentation marks with you thumb and forefinger.
- If you don’t have skewers, you can wrap 3-4 bamboo skewers in aluminum foil to mimic the flatness of the skewers traditionally used for Middle Eastern Kebabs.
- Cook on a charcoal grill or outdoor gas grill preheated to 450F for 11-15 mins. If using the oven, preheat it to 450F and cook for 15-18 mins. Towards the last 3-4 mins, I turn on the broiler setting of the oven to deepen the color of the kebabs.
- For the salad, thinly slice onion and massage with some salt to soften them and then add parsley, sumac and salt. You can add a drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Serve alongside the kebab on warm Lavash.
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