Adana Kebab

About This Recipe

Adana kebab is Turkey's most celebrated regional kebab, originating from the southern city of Adana. Ground lamb (with a proportion of tail fat) is mixed by hand with sumac onions, red pepper flakes, and salt, then kneaded directly onto wide flat skewers and grilled over charcoal. The result is a juicy, slightly smoky, gently spiced kebab that is served over flatbread with grilled tomatoes, peppers, sumac onion salad, and fresh parsley. Authentic Adana kebab makers — ustalar — are fiercely proud of their craft, and the Adana Chamber of Commerce even holds a protected geographical indication for the dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gcoarsely ground lamb(20% fat content)
• 100 glamb tail fat or suet(finely chopped)
• 2 tspred pepper flakes (pul biber)(Turkish)
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1½ tspsalt
• 2 largeonions(1 grated for meat, 1 thinly sliced for salad)
• 1 tbspsumac
• 4long flat metal skewers
• 4tomatoes and green peppers(to grill alongside)
• Lavash or flatbreadto serve
• Fresh parsleyto serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix and knead the meat

   Combine lamb mince with tail fat, 1 grated onion (squeezed of excess liquid), red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Knead forcefully for at least 8–10 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

   Proper kneading is essential — it develops the proteins that hold the kebab on the skewer without the meat falling off.

2. 2

   Form on skewers

   Wet your hands. Take a fist-sized portion of meat and press firmly around a flat skewer, squeezing and shaping into a long cylinder about 2.5 cm thick. Pinch the ends to secure.

3. 3

   Grill over hot coals

   Grill over very hot charcoal (or a very hot cast-iron griddle pan), turning every 2–3 minutes, for 10–12 minutes total until charred outside and just cooked through.

4. 4

   Make sumac onion salad

   Toss sliced onion with sumac, a pinch of salt, and chopped fresh parsley. Massage briefly until the onion softens slightly.

5. 5

   Serve

   Slide kebabs off skewers onto lavash flatbread. Serve with grilled tomatoes, peppers, sumac onion salad, and chopped parsley.

Variations

• •

  Urfa kebab uses darker, milder Urfa pepper instead of hot Adana pepper.

• •

  Mix in finely diced green chilli for extra heat.

• •

  Serve as a wrap in lavash with yogurt and salad.

Storage

Raw shaped kebabs keep refrigerated 24 hours. Cooked kebabs keep 2 days — reheat in a hot pan.

Frequently Asked Questions