Iskender Kebab

İskender Kebab

The famous Bursa-style kebab: thin shavings of doner lamb piled over warm pita, blanketed in tomato sauce and finished with sizzling browned butter. Serve with thick yoghurt and charred green peppers on the side.

Prep

20 min

Cook

35 min

Total

55 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) doner lamb meat, thinly sliced, home cooks can substitute sliced lamb leg marinated in the notes below
• •4 pieces pita bread (or Turkish pide), pide is more traditional
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ripe tomatoes, grated (or 400 g canned crushed tomatoes)
• •1 tbsp tomato paste
• •1 small onion, finely grated
• •2 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 tbsp butter, for the tomato sauce
• •1 tsp sugar, balances acidity
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •150 g (5 oz) unsalted butter, for the finishing drizzle
• •300 g (10½ oz) thick plain yoghurt (süzme or Greek-style)
• •4 pieces long green peppers (sivri biber), for grilling, optional but traditional
• •1 tsp sumac, to serve, optional
• •1 tsp dried oregano, to serve, optional

Steps

1. 1 Marinate the lamb (if substituting for doner): toss 600 g thinly sliced lamb leg with 60 ml (¼ cup) plain yoghurt, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp black pepper and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
2. 2 Make the tomato sauce: melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook 3-4 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3 Add the grated (or canned) tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy. Taste and adjust salt. Keep warm.
4. 4 Brown the finishing butter: in a small pan, melt 150 g butter over medium heat and let it foam gently until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5-7 minutes. Skim off any white foam. Keep warm — it should be hot enough to sizzle when poured.
5. 5 Cook the lamb: heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until very hot. Cook the lamb slices in a single layer without crowding, 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly charred and cooked through. Cook in batches and keep warm. Internal temperature should read 71°C / 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
6. 6 Warm the pita: stack the pitas (or pide), wrap in foil and place in a 180°C / 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or warm them directly on the griddle for 30 seconds per side. Tear or cut into rough pieces.
7. 7 Grill the green peppers (if using) on the griddle until blistered and softened, 3-4 minutes total.
8. 8 Assemble the plates: spread a generous spoonful of tomato sauce on each warm plate. Pile the torn pita over the sauce, then top with the hot lamb slices. Spoon more tomato sauce over the lamb and finish with a generous drizzle of the sizzling browned butter — it should audibly sizzle on contact.
9. 9 Serve immediately with a side of thick yoghurt, the grilled green peppers, and a sprinkle of sumac and oregano if using.