Freeze meat only lightly
Slice meat that is light and firm very thinly. Fully frozen pieces slip and are heavy to work safely with the kitchen knife.
Turkish Recipe
İskender kebab
Slightly frozen meat can be cut very thinly and is fried in small portions. Bread, sauce and butter do not come together until just before eating.
Total time
9 hr 5 min
Calories
790 kcal
Servings
6 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Why this recipe works
Bursa classic with meat, pide, yoghurt and butter
Iskender kebab comes from Bursa and is traditionally served with thinly sliced kebab meat. For home cooking, the characteristic plate of very thin slices of meat marinated overnight in onion and spice marinade can be reproduced. Roasted cubes of chicken take up tomato sauce and meat juice, but should retain some structure. Cool yoghurt is lying next to it, while browned butter is poured over meat and bread at the table. Roasted tomatoes and green peppers complement the strong main course.
Lunch
Dinner
Meat
Turkish Recipes
Recipe
İskender kebab
Iskender kebab combines wafer-thin roasted beef or lamb with roasted pide, spicy tomato sauce, yoghurt and hot butter.
Ingredients
6 servings
Method
-
1
Freeze meat to cut
Place meat in the freezer for 45 to 60 minutes until it is firm on the outside but still slicable on the inside. Then cut it into 2 to 3 mm thin slices across the fibre.
-
2
Add onion marinade
Squeeze the grated onions vigorously in a cloth, then mix the juice with two tablespoons of olive oil, oregano, pul biber, salt and pepper and turn the meat slices into a bowl.
-
3
Marinate meat chilled
Cover and leave meat to marinate for at least 6, preferably 8 hours in the fridge. Tempering for 20 minutes before frying and stripping off any excess marinade.
-
4
Cook tomato sauce
Heat the remaining olive oil. Roast the tomato and paprika paste for 2 minutes, stir in the tomatoes and water and simmer for 12 minutes until creamy.
-
5
Roasting bread and vegetables
Roast the pied cubes at 190 ° C / 325 ° F / gas mark 6 to 8 minutes. Brown tomatoes and green peppers in a hot grill pan all around.
-
6
Roast meat in portions
Heat a heavy frying pan very hot. Fry meat in four small portions, turning 2 to 3 minutes, until it is browned and completely hot. Do not stack.
-
7
foam butter nutty
Heat butter in a small saucepan until it foams and has a slight nutty smell. Do not let it become so dark that the milk components taste bitter.
-
8
Build it right away
Spread the pide on warmed plates and moisten with a little tomato sauce. Add the meat, add more sauce and hot butter. Arrange yoghurt and grilled vegetables alongside.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for İskender kebab
Fry in small portions
Too much meat cools the pan and boils in the leaking juice. Small portions develop roasted flavours and remain juicier.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
Replace beef completely with trimmed leg of lamb. Remove visible fat only partially because it provides flavour and juiciness.
Marinate very thinly sliced minute steak for 30 minutes, the flavour will be less deep, the rest of the preparation will remain unchanged.
Nutrition per serving
790kcal
51.0 gCarbohydrates
54.0 gProtein
40.0 gFat
Values are estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about İskender kebab
İskender is served on toasted bread with tomato sauce and hot butter; yoghurt and grilled vegetables are a solid part of it.
Onion juice seasons and makes the surface aromatic without burning the onion pieces in the very hot pan.
Yes. Thinly sliced meat can marinate for 6 to 12 hours in a cool state. Salty onion marinade should not take effect for any longer.
Toast bread before serving and add the sauce immediately before serving, making it juicy without immediately becoming mushy.
The yoghurt stays creamy and forms a cool contrast. Under very hot sauce and butter it could separate.
Keep cooking