Middle EastGrillDinnerGluten-freeDairy-freeHigh proteinLow carb

Adana Kebab

Name: Adana Kebab
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle East
Ingredients: 800 g ground lamb, 25% fat; ask the butcher to grind in lamb fat; 2 tbsp Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber); 1.5 tsp fine salt; 4 lavash or flatbread, to serve; 2 red onions, sliced, for the sumac salad; 2 tsp sumac, plus parsley, for the salad; 4 tomatoes and long green peppers, each, to grill alongside; 6 wide flat skewers

Turkey’s fiery hand-minced lamb kebab: lamb, fat, pepper flakes and salt on wide skewers, nothing else allowed. Served with sumac onions.

prep: 25 min
cook: 12 min
total: 37 min
serves: 4
level: medium

Adana kebab is protected by name in Turkey, and its recipe is an exercise in refusal: lamb with plenty of fat, red pepper flakes, salt. No onion, no egg, no breadcrumbs, no cumin. The purity is the point.

What it demands instead is kneading, until the meat turns sticky and paste-like, and a proper rest, which together keep it gripping the wide skewer over the fire.

Adana Kebab is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.

method

Knead the lamb with the pepper flakes and salt for a full 5 minutes until sticky and uniform. Chill 30 minutes.
Toss the sliced onions with the sumac, parsley and a pinch of salt; set aside to soften.
With wet hands, press the meat along the wide skewers in a flat band, pinching gentle ridges.
Grill over hot coals or a maximum grill pan, 2 to 3 minutes a side, with the tomatoes and peppers alongside until blistered.
Slide the kebabs onto warm lavash, pile on the sumac onions and grilled vegetables, and roll or eat open.

chef's tips

The fat is non-negotiable; lean Adana is a contradiction in terms.
Knead and chill or watch dinner rotate into the fire.
Pul biber (or Aleppo pepper) has the fruity warmth the dish is named for; ordinary chili flakes are a different heat.