Adana Kebab – Traditional Turkish Minced Meat Skewer Kebab

Preparation

1. 01

   Step 01

   Grate the onion and squeeze out the juice into a bowl. Prepare the onion juice to be used for the mince.

2. 02

   Step 02

   Place the lamb mince in a wide bowl. Add the finely chopped tail fat, chilli flakes, salt, and onion juice. Knead all the ingredients by hand for at least 10 minutes. Continue kneading until the mince reaches a paste-like consistency and begins to stick to your hands.

3. 03

   resting in the refrigerator

   Cover the kneaded mince with cling film and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This allows the mince to adhere better to the skewers.

4. 04

   Step 04

   Place egg-sized portions of the mince onto wide, flat metal skewers (Adana skewers), shaping them evenly along the length of the skewer. Press with your thumb to spread the mince thinly and lengthwise around the skewer. Prepare approximately 4 skewers, using about 150–175 g of mince per skewer.

5. 05

   grilling over high heat

   Heat a barbecue or cast-iron grill over a high heat. Place the skewers over the embers. Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes on each side, turning until lightly charred on the outside and still juicy inside.

6. 06

   Step 06

   Prepare the sumac onion garnish by rubbing thinly sliced half-moon onions with sumac.

7. 07

   Charring

   While the kebab is cooking, place the tomatoes and peppers over the embers and char on both sides. Peel off the skins and transfer to a serving plate.

8. 08

   Step 08

   Lightly warm the lavash bread. Slide the meat off the kebab skewers onto the lavash, or serve on the skewers. Serve hot with sumac onions and charred tomatoes and peppers on the side.