Iskender Kebab

Name: Iskender Kebab
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 800 g ground meat; 7 g salt; 100 g yogurt; 120 g yellow onion; 3 garlic cloves; 5 g paprika; 3 g cayenne pepper; 2 g black pepper; tomatoes; long green peppers; 25 g olive oil; 400 g tomato passsata; 2 g garlic powder; 2 g salt; SERVE WITH; Turkish pide bread

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Najat

Photo by Najat

Iskender kebab is one of Turkey’s most beloved dishes: thin slices of doner meat served over soft Turkish bread, topped with warm tomato sauce, creamy yogurt and a drizzle of golden butter. With this easy oven method, you can make it at home without a rotisserie.

50 minutes

4 Portions

Easy

What Is Iskender Kebab?

İskender is the Turkish and Arabic form of Alexander, and the name often refers to Alexander the Great. This recipe is the exception, though. It’s named after İskender Efendi, a butcher and cook from Bursa, Turkey. Instead of roasting meat horizontally, he cooked boneless lamb vertically on a rotating spit over charcoal. Locals called it his “döner kebab,” from the Turkish word döner, meaning “turning.”

How to Make Iskender Kebab at Home (No Rotisserie Needed)

Of course, most of us don’t have a vertical rotisserie in our kitchen. That’s where this recipe comes in. Instead of using a spit, you spread the seasoned meat mixture into a very thin layer on parchment paper, roll it up tightly and roast it in the oven. Because the meat is rolled up in thin layers, you get the same tender, thinly sliced texture you’d find at a kebab shop, right in your own kitchen.

Key Ingredients

Ground beef and lamb: a 50/50 mix of ground lamb and ground beef. Don’t have both on hand? Just use one or the other.

Yogurt: used twice. Mixed into the meat, it keeps it juicy and tender. Use thick, full-fat Turkish or Greek yogurt.

Tomato passata: simmered briefly into a simple, warm tomato sauce that soaks into the bread.

Butter: the finishing touch that makes Iskender kebab truly Iskender. Melted and lightly browned, it’s drizzled over the dish right before serving.

Turkish pide bread: the soft base that soaks up the sauce and butter.

Spice mix: paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper give this dish its flavor. Leave out the cayenne to make it kid-friendly.

Ingredients

Portions

MEAT

800 g ground meat, (1¾ lb)

7 g salt, (1 tsp)

100 g yogurt, (scant ½ cup)

120 g yellow onion, (1 medium onion)

3 garlic cloves

5 g paprika, (1 2/3 tsp)

3 g cayenne pepper, (1 tsp)

2 g black pepper, (2/3 tsp)

tomatoes

long green peppers, such as Anaheim or cubanelle

TOMATO SAUCE

25 g olive oil, (1 1/2 tbsp)

400 g tomato passsata, (14 oz / about 1⅔ cups)

2 g garlic powder, (¾ tsp)

2 g salt, (heaping ¼ tsp)

SERVE WITH

unsalted butter

Turkish pide bread

Turkish or Greek yogurt

Instructions

Ingrediënten voor Iskender kebab met gehakt, yoghurt, ui en kruiden

Measure out and set out all ingredients before you start.

Gehakt mengen met yoghurt, ui, knoflook en kruiden voor Iskender kebab

Add the ground beef, salt, yogurt, onion, garlic, paprika, cayenne and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely ground and smooth.

Gehaktmengsel dun uitrollen tussen bakpapier voor Iskender kebab

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Spread a portion of the meat mixture over it and press it out into a very thin, even layer. For the easiest results, cover it with a second sheet of parchment and roll it thin with a rolling pin.

Dun uitgerold gehakt oprollen voor zelfgemaakte Iskender kebab

Remove the top sheet of parchment. Using the bottom sheet, roll the meat up into a tight log. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.

Opgerold gehakt met tomaten en groene pepers op een bakplaat

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange the tomatoes and green peppers around the meat, or add any other vegetables you like.

Gaar en mooi gekleurd kebabvlees uit de oven voor Iskender kebab

Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) using conventional (not convection) heat. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked and nicely browned.

Gebakken kebabvlees in dunne reepjes snijden voor Iskender kebab

Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then cut it into thin strips, just like doner kebab.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the passata, garlic powder and salt, and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

Tomatensaus bereiden met gezeefde tomaten, knoflookpoeder en zout

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. For a richer, more authentic flavor, let it cook until lightly golden and nutty, but watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Ongezouten roomboter smelten voor Iskender kebab

Cut the Turkish bread into bite-size pieces.

Turks brood in kleine stukken snijden voor Iskender kebab

Cut the Turkish bread into bite-size pieces.

Turks brood met tomatensaus en kebabvlees voor Iskender kebab

Divide the bread among plates. Spoon the warm tomato sauce over the bread and top with the sliced kebab meat. Serve with Turkish yogurt, a drizzle of the melted butter and the roasted vegetables.

Iskender kebab met kebabvlees, tomatensaus en gesmolten boter

Iskender kebab met Turks brood, yoghurt, tomatensaus en gesmolten boter

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Iskender Kebab

50 minutes · 4 porties · Easy

Ingredients

800 g ground meat ((1¾ lb))
7 g salt ((1 tsp))
100 g yogurt ((scant ½ cup))
120 g yellow onion ((1 medium onion))
3 garlic cloves
5 g paprika ((1 2/3 tsp))
3 g cayenne pepper ((1 tsp))
2 g black pepper ((2/3 tsp))
tomatoes
long green peppers (such as Anaheim or cubanelle)
25 g olive oil ((1 1/2 tbsp))
400 g tomato passsata ((14 oz / about 1⅔ cups))
2 g garlic powder ((¾ tsp))
2 g salt ((heaping ¼ tsp))
SERVE WITH
Turkish pide bread

Instructions

Measure out and set out all ingredients before you start.
Add the ground beef, salt, yogurt, onion, garlic, paprika, cayenne and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely ground and smooth.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Spread a portion of the meat mixture over it and press it out into a very thin, even layer. For the easiest results, cover it with a second sheet of parchment and roll it thin with a rolling pin.
Remove the top sheet of parchment. Using the bottom sheet, roll the meat up into a tight log. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange the tomatoes and green peppers around the meat, or add any other vegetables you like.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) using conventional (not convection) heat. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked and nicely browned.
Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then cut it into thin strips, just like doner kebab.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the passata, garlic powder and salt, and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. For a richer, more authentic flavor, let it cook until lightly golden and nutty, but watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
Cut the Turkish bread into bite-size pieces.
Cut the Turkish bread into bite-size pieces.
Divide the bread among plates. Spoon the warm tomato sauce over the bread and top with the sliced kebab meat. Serve with Turkish yogurt, a drizzle of the melted butter and the roasted vegetables.

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Iskender Kebab

What Is Iskender Kebab?

How to Make Iskender Kebab at Home (No Rotisserie Needed)

Key Ingredients

Ingredients