Adana Kebab is a spicy minced meat dish originally from Turkey, and takes its name from the city of Adana, the fifth largest city in the country. The word kebab (کباب) comes from Arabic or Persian, but originally it meant fried and not grilled meat. Many people use the more familiar term şiş (pronounced scisc) which means skewer (although this recipe does not use it), as traditionally the meat is meant to be skewered on a skewer measuring 80-90cm with a diameter of 2 -2, 5 cm. Kebab is usually accompanied, as a drink, by ayran (diluted yogurt) or şalgam (turnip juice). Sometimes it is served as a roll (dürüm or sokum): meat and vegetables are wrapped in a pita (Arabic bread). This is a way to quickly consume the kebab, even if the vegetables and meat are always prepared fresh.
Ingrediants
Servings: 4 meatballs of 20x5 cm.
- 500-700 g of minced meat; usually a fatty cut of lamb is used (such as the tail) with a lean meat-to-fat ratio of 5: 1. You can use a mix of beef and mutton or just beef.
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper (or substitute red pepper if you want a spicier, more traditional version)
- 1/2 tablespoon of cilantro
- 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
- 30 g of butter
- 1 tablespoon of baby bottle (a red pepper paste)
- A little olive oil
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Salt and pepper
Steps
Make Adana Kebab Step 1 Step 1. Put the meat in a bowl
If you used a mix of mutton and beef, make sure they are well blended.
Make Adana Kebab Step 2 Step 2. Cut the onion and butter into small pieces and mix them with the meat
Add the cilantro, baby bottle, and cumin.
Make Adana Kebab Step 3 Step 3. Cut the pepper into 4 large pieces and use a hand blender to make a puree
If you don't have a blender of this type, you can chop the pepper very finely.
Make Adana Kebab Step 4 Step 4. Add the puree to the meat
Make Adana Kebab Step 5 Step 5. Season with salt and pepper
Make Adana Kebab Step 6 Step 6. Knead the meat
Make Adana Kebab Step 7 Step 7. Divide it into four equal parts to form rectangles
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If you have decided to use a large skewer, it is not necessary to divide the meat into 4 portions. You can make a single large meatball and insert it with the skewer.
Step 8.
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Grease the meat with olive oil.
Make Adana Kebab Step 8 -
Cook on the grill inside the oven, on an electric grill or on the barbecue. In the oven it will take 15 minutes, with an electric grill or barbecue about 5.
Make Adana Kebab Step 9
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Advice
- To make the bottle at home, put 5 red peppers, two medium jalapeños and two tablespoons of salt in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Store it in a glass jar in the fridge after covering the surface with olive oil.
- It is best not to overdo it with the salt, you can always add it later.
- You can accompany the kebab with bread, rice or salad. Traditionally, Adana Kebab is served on a pile of pita bread (Arabic bread) or lavash (a kind of flatbread) with onions, sumac, grilled tomatoes and green peppers. You can also add parsley, mint and a salad dressed with lemon juice, if you want to balance the fatty flavor of the meat.
- The amount of bottles you add determines how spicy the dish will be. If you love spicy food you can add more, or replace the red peppers with chillies.
- It is best to cut the kebab in half. This prevents it from dividing and is easier to remove from the grill.
