Turkish Kebabs Recipes

TURKISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Place the chopped onions in a large ceramic bowl and crush with the bottom of a glass until juice is rendered and onions look translucent. Stir in 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oregano, 1 teaspoon black pepper, turmeric, curry powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well; add the sliced beef and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Combine the sour cream, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, dill, and 1 crushed clove of garlic. Mix well; cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Remove the meat from the marinade mixture, brushing off extra onions. Spread the slices on a baking sheet without overlapping, and salt to taste. Broil about 3 minutes per side or until browned and crispy, turning halfway through cooking.
• Divide the cooked meat between the pita breads, and drizzle with tzatziki sauce to serve.

TURKISH KEBABS

Steps:

• To make the marinade:
• Mix together the garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, spices, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
• To prepare the kebabs:
• Add the meat to the marinade and toss. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.
• Prepare a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill, switch on the gas if you have an outdoor gas grill, or preheat the broiler to high.
• Thread the meat onto 7 long skewers and the tomatoes onto an eighth one. Grill over high heat or broil 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the meat and tomatoes are done to your liking. Slip the meat and tomatoes off the skewers onto flatbread and serve immediately.

BEST HOMEMADE DONER KEBAB WITH CHICKEN (TAVUK DöNER)

Steps:

• Make the marinade: In a large mixing bowl, add the yogurt, tomato paste, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and spices. Mix well to combine.
• Season the chicken: Pat the chicken dry and season well with kosher salt and black pepper on each side.
• Marinate: Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to make sure each piece is well-coated with the marinade. If you have the time, I highly recommend you cover and refrigerate the chicken for 3 hours or up to overnight. Otherwise, allow the chicken to sit in the marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or so while you prepare the fixings/sides and heat up the grill (or your oven). (You'll get better results of you let the chicken marinate longer).
• Skewer the chicken: Divide the chicken thighs into two piles. Using a set of 2 to 3 metal skewers at a time, thread the first pile chicken thighs through, and push them snug against each other. (It helps to prop the skewers on the edges of a pan or a bowl. And if your chicken thighs are too large, you can fold them each in half and thread them through). Repeat with another set of 2 to 3 skewers to thread the second pile of chicken on.
• To cook on the grill: Heat the grill to 400 degrees F (for my grill, this would me medium-high heat). Arrange the kebabs on grates and close the grill. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on one side until nicely charred, then turn over and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle (a total of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken thighs).
• To cook in the oven: Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a large pan with edges or walls, arrange the kebabs on top of the pan such that the metal skewers are resting on the edges (or walls of the pan) with some room between the chicken and the bottom of the pan. Put the pan on the middle rack of your heated oven. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes until the surface is golden brown and charred in some parts. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the skewers over, brush the top of chicken with the pan juices and return the pan to the oven for another 20 minutes (longer if you have larger pieces). You'll cook the kebabs in the oven for anywhere between 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
• Rest: Remove the chicken off the heat and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Carve or shave the chicken off the skewers: Prop the skewers upright on a slight angle. Using a sharp knife (held in your dominant hand), slice the meat thinly from top to bottom or however you're able to do it safely.
• Serve in pita wraps or plates. For more traditional doner kebabs, use a loaf of pita bread to wrap some of the chicken in, adding your sauce and sliced vegetables (or one of the salads listed above). Alternatively, you can serve kebab plates by arranging the chicken next to (or over) a bed of Middle Eastern rice with your salad and sauce to the side.

AUTHENTIC TURKISH DONER KEBAB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine flour, oregano, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Add ground lamb and thoroughly knead with the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed together, about 3 minutes.
• Shape the seasoned ground lamb and place into a loaf pan; set on top of a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, turning the loaf halfway to ensure even browning, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Wrap loaf in aluminum foil and let rest, about 10 minutes. Slice as thinly as possible to make the doner kebab pieces.

TAVUK ŞIş (TURKISH CHICKEN KEBAB) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.
• Cut the meat into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Using the finest grater possible, grate the onion and garlic cloves over a medium bowl.
• Pour the pulp and juice into a fine mesh strainer and, using a wooden spoon, press out the juice into a medium bowl. Discard the onion and garlic pulp; reserve the juice.
• Stir together the onion-garlic juice, yogurt, oil, tomato paste, black pepper, paprika, and salt.
• Add the cubed chicken and toss to coat.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight for maximum flavor.
• Prepare a medium (350°F to 375°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. If using bamboo skewers, soak skewers in water for 30 minutes so they don't catch fire on the grill.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and thread them onto soaked bamboo kebab skewers or metal skewers. The chunks of chicken can touch each other, but don't put them too close together to ensure they cook through. Discard any remaining marinade.
• Sprinkle the kebabs generously with salt and place on pre heated grill. Grill evenly on all sides, about 12 minutes total.
• Garnish with sumac, dried oregano, and paprika, if desired, and serve.

VEGAN TURKISH KEBABS WITH SUMAC ONIONS AND GARLIC-DILL MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Make the sumac onions: Combine all ingredients and toss until the onion pieces are separated and well coated. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Sumac onions should be used the day they are made.)
• Make the garlic-dill mayonnaise: Put 18 garlic cloves in a medium pot, and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue cooking for 30 seconds. Drain garlic and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, mince the remaining 2 garlic cloves. In a food processor, combine blanched and raw garlic, mayonnaise and lemon juice; process until completely smooth. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer mixture to a bowl, stir in minced dill, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.)
• Make the kebabs: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and fold with very clean hands until fully incorporated. Divide mixture in half, then divide each half into 6 equal balls. Working on a clean cutting board, roll them into cylinders about 3/4 inch in diameter. Cut each cylinder in half to form 24 small logs.
• Cook and serve: In a large skillet over medium-high, heat oil until shimmering. Add the logs, working in batches if necessary to prevent crowding. Cook on one side until well browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on second side until well browned and cooked through, another 1 1/2 minutes. (Alternatively, cook on a hot grill until lightly charred and cooked through.) Transfer to a serving plate.
• Serve with sumac onions, garlic-dill mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes, arugula, hot sauce and Turkish bread or pita.

TURKISH CHICKEN KEBABS

Steps:

• Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, ketchup, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, cumin, black pepper, paprika, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Place chicken thigh halves into the yogurt marinade and coat them thoroughly on all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 8 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Using 2 skewers for each kebab, thread half of the chicken thighs onto each pair of skewers making a fairly thick "log" shape.
• Place kebabs on grill. Do not try to turn them until they begin to unstick from the grill, 3 or 4 minutes. Turn kebabs and grill the other side 3 or 4 minutes; turn. Continue cooking and turning until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 6 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

TURKISH KEBABS WITH TOMATO CHILLI SAUCE

Steps:

• Crush 1 garlic clove and mix with 3 tbsp yogurt, the lemon juice, 1 tsp tomato purée, half the spices, and some seasoning in a medium bowl. Add the chicken, toss, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr or overnight.
• Make the chilli sauce. Put 100g of the tomatoes, the whole red chilli, the remaining spices, garlic clove and tomato purée, plus 1 tbsp olive oil, half the red onion and the pomegranate molasses in a food processor. Add some seasoning and pulse until puréed, then set aside.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, and heat a griddle pan. Thread the chicken onto metal skewers or wooden ones that have been soaked, then wipe off the excess marinade. Skewer the remaining tomatoes on a separate skewer. Lightly oil the griddle with the remaining olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides, then transfer to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 mins, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, griddle the tomatoes for 1-2 mins, turning halfway through so they have griddle marks on both sides.
• Serve the chicken and tomatoes on flatbreads with the remaining red onion, pickled chillis, the remaining Greek yogurt, parsley and coriander with the chilli sauce spooned over.