Adana Kebab
Adana kebab is a traditional dish of oriental cuisine — minced meat seasoned with spices and grilled on skewers. The basis is lamb or a mixture of meats, thoroughly ground with onions and spices.
Ingredients
- 500 gground lamb
- 50 glamb tail fat, finely minced or grated
- 1 mediumonion, very finely chopped and drained
- 1 clovesgarlic
- 1 tspred pepper flakes, or to taste
- ½ tspground cumin
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- for servingflatbreads, fresh parsley and mint, sliced red onions with sumac, grilled tomatoes and peppers
Method
- In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb and finely minced lamb tail fat. Add the finely chopped and drained onion, minced garlic (if using), red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and black pepper. Knead the mixture vigorously with your hands for at least 5-7 minutes until sticky and paste-like. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Divide the chilled meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Wet your hands with water. Press and mold each portion around a wide, flat metal skewer, forming a long, even sausage shape about 10-15 cm long.
- Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the hot grill. Cook for about 8-12 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
- Carefully slide the cooked kebabs off the skewers onto warm flatbreads. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley, mint and sumac-dusted onions. Grilled tomatoes and peppers are a traditional accompaniment.
FAQ
The main reason is too little fat or too much moisture in the mince. Adana kebab needs at least 20–25% fat — traditionally lamb tail fat (kuyruk yağı). If the fat content is lower, the meat won't bind properly. Drain the onion thoroughly after chopping — squeeze it in a towel to remove all juice. Knead the mince vigorously for 8–10 minutes until it becomes sticky and almost paste-like; this develops the myosin proteins that act as natural glue. Chill the shaped kebabs on the skewer for 30 minutes in the fridge before grilling. Never use pre-ground supermarket mince — hand-chop or grind your own from fresh lamb shoulder.
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Comments (1)
Lamb can taste gamey if the fat isn't trimmed and rendered properly for adana kebab. I remove the thick external fat but leave a thin layer — it bastes the meat and crisps beautifully without that muttony aftertaste.