Adana Kebab, flavor of Turkey
The Adana kebab is a hand-minced meat kebab mounted on a large iron skewer and grilled over an open mango. It is often served with charred peppers and tomatoes, an onion-sumac-parley salad, and lavaş. The taste of Adana kebab is world famous because it is made of lamb, red peppers and tail fat, all ground together. The best place to eat it is Kebapçı Cik Cik Ali! Here, you can eat the freshest and most delicious kebabs! Prices are also very affordable. You just need to know that Adana kebab is a spicy one, so if you don’t like spicy food, you need to let the waiter know in advance. Rewind: “Acılı” means spicy and “acısız” not spicy in Turkish. I’m not entirely sure if they will speak English, but the staff are always very friendly and willing to help!
Last but not least … don’t forget to drink Şalgam (a drink made from red turnip juice) with it!
How to make an Adana Kebab
These are the ingredients to prepare an Adana Kebab for 4 people:
Ingrediants
Servings: 4 meatballs of 20×5 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
– Salt and pepper
Method
Put the meat in a bowl. If you used a mix of mutton and beef, make sure they are well blended.
Cut the onion and butter into small pieces and combine them with the meat. Add the cilantro, baby bottle, and cumin.
Cut the pepper into 4 large chunks and use a hand blender to make a puree. If you don’t have a blender of this type, you can cut the pepper very finely.
Add the puree to the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Knead the meat.
Divide it into four equal parts to form rectangles.
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.
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.