My favorite street food in Istanbul is the Kebab, especially the ground beef or lamb kebabs or Kofta. Read my Istanbul Street Food post and here’s a photo of the delicious kebabs enjoyed while in Turkey.
To bring these spicy and delicious flavors home, here’s a Turkish inspired recipe of beef kofta kebabs.
At home, I serve the Kofta kebabs with meze (small appetizers), crunchy vegetable and dips, and extra chili paste.
The minced meat
For the minced meat, you can use beef or lamb or a combination of both. The best skewers to use are the long and flat metallic ones. Since I didn’t have any at home, I have used wooden skewers, which need to be first soaked in water for at least 15 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.
What adds an incredible layer of flavor to the dish is the red onion and parsley garnish and the yogurt garlic dip.
Since we love spicy food, I have used 4 types of chilis on top of the chili paste. But feel free to adjust the quantity, but the spiciness is the kick needed to make tasty kofta.
If using dry chilis, slice, remove seeds and soak them in warm water before adding to the meat.
To form the meat patty on the skewers, have a bowl of ice water nearby to dip your hand so the minced meat won’t stick to it.
First scoop a portion of meat, like a small burger size, and slide onto the skewer.
With one hand, form the meat into an elongated shape around the skewer by gentle squeezing. Use your thumb to slightly flatten the meat (the authentic Kofta have horizontal ridges on the meat patties, and this can be achieved by pressing your thumb along the meat to create those parallel ridges, if you wish to do so).
The spices
Sumac, which is a middle-eastern lemony spice adds an authentic flavor. It’s available in Middle Eastern stores or ordered via Amazon.
Another ingredient Biber Salcasi or Turkish Hot Pepper paste adds a spicy kick. It can also be purchased via Amazon. Since I didn’t have any handy, I have used Harissa, which is a Moroccan chili paste.
Turkish style Beef Kofta Kebabs
Equipment
- 12 to 15 Skewers – BBQ Grill
Ingredients
- 2 lb 1 kg Minced Beef or Lamb (or combination of both)
- 1 Onion, peeled and grated
- 1 bunch Parsley, chopped
- 3 to 4 chilis, seeded, chopped (I used 4 different types of chilis for more complex flavor)
- 1 tbsp Turkish chili paste or Harissa
- 1 tspn Salt
- 1 tbsp Sumac
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- 1-1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sumac, divided
Garnish
- 6 to 8 sheets of flat bread, or pita bread
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- Assorted crunch vegetable like julienne carrots, cabbage or cucumber
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all the meat ingredients and 1/2 tbsp sumac in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour
- Soak the wooden sticks if used. You would need 12 to 15 long skewers or around 20 short skewers
- In small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the garlic yogurt, refrigerate till ready to serve
- Prepare the red onion and parsley garnish: this is the key flavor driver. Sprinkle the salt over the finely sliced red onion. With your hands, squeeze the onions so the salt can really be well mixed. Add the chopped parsley. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, set aside.
- Display all the garnish on a platter for guests to help themselves.
- Skewers the meat and form a flat elongated shape.
- Heat the grill to high, oil the grates well. Grill the meat skewers for 4 minutes on one side, flip them over, and grill the other side for another 4 minutes (you can also use a cast iron grill). Warm up the flatbread or pita bread on the grill. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tbsp Sumac over the meat before serving.
- Serve hot with the garnishes and garlic yogurt sauce. Remove the meat from the skewer, wrap it with the garnishes and yogurt sauce in flatbread or pita bread, and enjoy!
It’s great to serve this dish buffet style so guests can add the garnishes and make their own wraps.
It’s spicy delicious and perfect for entertaining!
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Related products:
Sumac Spice 2.0 oz – Zamouri Spices
For more info or to buy click this link.
Oncu Turkish Mild Pepper Paste, 700 g
For more info or to buy click this link
Istanbul street food and eating out
[…] Check out my post about Istanbul street food and my Turkish inspired Beef Kofta kebab recipe. […]