Good cooking is all about the fine details, but these are often concealed, be that by the choice of ingredients, the cooking process or the cook’s touch. When we eat out at top-end restaurants, there are many factors that contribute to our satisfaction and exactly the same kind of magic can occur with everyday dishes at home. For instance, kebabs. Now, as any Turk will tell you, a kebab is not a kebab is not a kebab. The type of meat and amount of fat are crucial, as is the way they are chopped. The heat of the coals, and amount of smoke they emit, is similarly key, while the seasoning and degree of cooking are often the difference between a winner and a dud. And, as ever, the context is crucial.
As someone who loves a good kebab and detests a mediocre or bad one, I have made it my mission recently to make a proper one at home. Today’s recipes are the result.
The ultimate lamb kebab
To make these even more special, serve them with the flatbread, aubergine, pickle and tahini recipes that follow (if you can’t be bothered making all of those, good shop-bought versions will do, but the result won’t be the same).
Don’t be alarmed by the high fat content here: a lot of it leaches out while the kebabs are cooking, which also helps to make the outside so nice and crisp. Ask your butcher to mince the lamb fat for you, or you can chop it into small pieces and pulse it in a food processor.
This recipe originates from the city of Gaziantep, one of Turkey’s most incredible food centres, and is based on one by the brilliant Somer Sivrioglu, the chef at Efendy in Sydney, Australia. Serves four, to give three skewers per person.
12 wooden kebab sticks, soaked in water for an hour
For the kebabs
250g veal mince (or beef)
250g lamb leg mince
125g lamb fat mince
80g pistachio nuts, roasted and roughly chopped
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp chilli flakes
Salt and black pepper
Put all the kebab ingredients in a bowl with three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well, then divide into 12 roughly equal balls, each weighing about 60g. Roll into 12cm-long sausages, then insert a soaked skewer lengthways through the meat. Squeeze the meat around the stick, then gently flatten the kebab so that it’s 12cm long, 3cm wide and 1cm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, to firm up.
When ready to cook, light the barbecue, or put a chargrill pan on a high heat and ventilate your kitchen. Once very hot, cook the kebabs for three to five minutes in total, turning them halfway through, until cooked to medium on the inside and golden-brown on the outside, with chargrill marks on both sides. Serve warm, with the following bread and sides.
Turkish flatbreads with onion and nigella seeds
These are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, so are best served straight from the pan; that said, they are still pretty great at room temperature or reheated the next day. This recipe was inspired by one in Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman’s The Turkish Cookbook. Makes eight flatbreads, giving two per person.
3½ tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra to oil the bowl
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp nigella seeds
400g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp caster sugar
1 7g sachet fast-action yeast
Salt
75g ghee
Put two tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry gently for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until soft and caramelised. Stir in the nigella seeds, then spoon on to kitchen towel to absorb some of the oil. Tip into a small bowl and set aside.
Put the flour into a large bowl, then add the sugar, yeast, the remaining oil, half a teaspoon of salt and 250ml warm water. Mix with your hands so the mixture comes together, then lift out of the bowl, place on a work surface and knead for eight minutes, dusting with flour as needed. Brush the insides of the bowl with a teaspoon of oil, then return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling-film, and set aside somewhere warm for an hour, until doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten out slightly, then cover with the onion mix. Keep folding in the edges of the dough until the onion is mixed in. Return to the bowl, cover again and set aside for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl again and roll into a long sausage. Cut into eight equal pieces and set aside. Take one piece of dough, sprinkle with a little flour and roll into a 14cm-diameter rough circle. Sprinkle each side with a tiny pinch of salt, and repeat with the remaining dough.
Put a large, heavy frying pan on a medium-low heat and add two to three teaspoons of ghee. Once melted, and depending on the size of your pan, lay in two or three flatbreads and fry for three minutes. Once they have gone golden-brown on the bottom and started to puff up (don’t be tempted to flatten the bread while it is cooking – this puffing is important), flip over, add a little more ghee to the pan and fry for three minutes more. Remove from the pan and put on kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining breads and serve while warm.
Roasted aubergine with garlic and chilli
This aromatic condiment adds another heady dimension to the already highly aromatic kebabs.
4 medium aubergines, cut into 2cm dice
120ml olive oil
2 large green chillies, cut widthways into 3mm rounds
10 garlic cloves, peeled and cut widthways into 3mm rounds
Salt and black pepper
1½ tbsp white-wine vinegar
20g mixed herbs (such as basil, parsley, mint and tarragon), roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Put the aubergine in a large bowl with the oil, chilli and garlic, and add a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well, then spread out on two large baking trays lined with parchment paper; make sure the aubergine pieces are well apart. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the aubergine and garlic are golden-brown, then leave to cool before transferring to a large bowl. Stir in the vinegar and herbs, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Pickled red cabbage
These quantities will make more than you’ll need for the kebabs, but it keeps for a few weeks in the fridge. Done this way, the cabbage retains its crunch, so works brilliantly against the soft aubergine and meat, while the sharp acidity helps mitigate some of the richness of the meat. Use a mandolin or food processor to shred the cabbage and make life a whole lot easier.
½ small red cabbage (450g), finely shredded
Salt
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp whole allspice berries
½ tsp black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
150ml distilled white vinegar
Put the cabbage in a large bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt, mix well and leave for four hours at room temperature to soften.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, and add an extra tablespoon of salt and 350ml water. Mix well, then transfer to an extra-large sterilised jar (or a few smaller ones). Seal, shake well, leave in a well-lit spot for three days, then move to a cool, dark place. Strain before using.
Green tahini sauce
A lovely, fresh, sharp foil to the rich meat. This will make more than enough for four.
150ml tahini paste (stirred in the jar)
80ml lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt
30g parsley, finely chopped
In a bowl, whisk the tahini, 150ml water, lemon juice, garlic and half a teaspoon of salt: it should be creamy and smooth; if it’s too thick, add water. Stir in the parsley and serve, or chill for later (after chilling, you may need to add a little water to bring it back to pouring consistency) .
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
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