How to Make Adana Kebap

Native to Adana, Turkey's fifth-largest city, Adana kebaps are almost as easy to make as hamburgers and will add some extra spice to your meal. They are traditionally made on long, wide skewers--usually about an inch wide and up to three feet long--that can be difficult to find outside Turkey. But luckily the skewers aren't absolutely necessary and the kebaps are still delicious when they're grilled without!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 2 lbs ground lamb
• 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp ground red pepper or red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• Olive Oil
• Grill
• Flat metal skewers, about 1 inch wide (optional)
• Thick pita bread (optional)
• Tomato (optional)
• Yogurt (optional)

Preparing the kebaps without skewers

1. Mix lamb, bell pepper, parsley, paprika, ground pepper or pepper flakes and salt together in a large bowl. Make sure all ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the meat.
2. Form 8-10 "logs" with the meat mixture, each about 6 inches long.
3. Flatten the "logs," making each piece of meat mixture about 1 inch wide and 1/3 inch thick.
4. Douse the kebaps with olive oil.
5. Place them on the grill for about 5 minutes. Flip them to ensure that they cook evenly.

Preparing kebaps with skewer

6. Repeat step 1, section 1.
7. Wet your hand with water and take a fistful of meat from the bowl. Wrap it around the middle of a wide skewer (about an inch wide and at least 12 inches long). You should flatten and spread the meet so it's about 8 inches long. Repeat for other skewers.
8. Grill for about 5 minutes, or until meat is fully cooked. Be sure to flip sides halfway through. The recipe should make about 8 skewers.

Serving

9. Adana kebap should be served with thick pita.
10. If you choose, you can also grill tomatoes and green, hot pepper to make it a real Turkish Adana kebap meal.
11. Serve with yogurt if you choose.