Quick Adana Kebab: Perfect for Meal Prep
Adana kebab are elongated spicy minced meat kebabs, mounted on large metallic skewers with the dominating flavour of pepper. They are traditionally made with lamb meat and grilled over charcoal, but I cooked these delicious kebabs using mixed mincemeat of beef and lamb on stovetop and also provided instructions for charcoal grilling.
Adana kebabs look similar to our Pakistani seekh kababs but with different flavour. Only a few ingredients are needed to make these juicy kebabs. They are so quick to make and a best thing about them is that they can be easily frozen for later consumption. Make a double or triple batch, enjoy some and freeze the rest to enjoy them later.
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They are best served over warm lavash bread or over the bed of bulgur pilaf and accompanied by grilled veggies, onions salad and yogurt sauce. Hope you enjoy this recipe and share it with your loved ones.
The ingredients you’ll need to make the adana kebab:
Notes on the replacement of some ingredients:
- Red Bell Pepper: You can use green capsicum as an alternative to red bell pepper.
- Long Green Pepper: Long green pepper can be replaced with less hot green chillies.
- Parsley: Parsley can be substituted with green coriander.
- Pul Biber: If you are unable to get pul biber, you can use red chili flakes.
- Sumac: You can use pomegranate seeds powder instead of sumac.
Serving Suggestion:
These kebabs are best served over warm lavash bread (flatbread) or on the bed of bulgur pilaf and accompanied by grilled veggies (eggplant, tomatoes and long green peppers), onions salad and yogurt sauce.
Try my ayran recipe along with these adana kebab.
Freezing Instructions:
A great thing about these kebabs is that they freeze very well. You can either freeze them:
- Uncooked: Mount the minced mixture on wooden skewers and once the kebabs have been shaped, put them in an airtight container with some space apart, place a cling film or a baking paper between the layers and then freeze them. When you want to consume them, simply defrost them in refrigerator and cook them off using any method listed below.
- Half cooked: Once cooled, freeze them in an airtight container, placing a cling wrap or a baking paper between the layers. When you want to consume them, simply defrost them in refrigerator and finish cooking them off.
- Completely cooked: Cook the kebabs according to any of the methods listed below. Let them cool completely and then store them in freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag. When you are ready to consume the kebabs, defrost them and then reheat.
Cooking Methods:
- Charcoal Grill: The authentic way is to make them on charcoal grill for the wonderful flavor.
- Stovetop: Detailed instructions are in the recipe below.
- Baking Oven: Brush the kebabs with some oil and then bake them in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 220 °C. Don’t forget to put an aluminum foil underneath to catch any drips.
The equipment needed to make them on stovetop:
- Use a flat pan or tawa if you are making them on stove top. Crêpe pan can also be used.
- Use a basting brush to grease the pan.
- Large metallic skewers will also be required. You can also use wooden skewers.
Charcoal smoke when cooking them on stove top or baking them:
You can also give charcoal smoke in a pan if you are cooking them on stove top or baking them. Just put all the kebabs in a pan once done, place aluminium cup or foil in the middle of pan and put well heated coal on it. Drop a few drops of the oil on coal, it will start releasing smoke, cover the pan with lid and let it smoke for a few minutes.
Tips: So that the kebabs don’t fall of the skewers!
- The trick is to knead or mix the mixture very well to a sticky consistency so that the kebabs stick to the skewers and don’t fall of the skewers while cooking, baking or grilling.
- Flip them up every 50 to 60 seconds in the beginning.
Recipe Notes:
- Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking.
- Use high fat meat for moist and juicy kebabs. Traditionally lamb tail fat is used in this recipe, but I used minced meat having 30% fat.
- The leftovers of these kebabs can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 1 hour.
Equipment, tools or ingredients I used:
- This kitchen machine is my absolute favourite for mincing and grinding.
- I used metallic kebab skewers to shape these kebabs.
- I prefer using Himalayan salt for my recipes.
- This black pepper grinder is so good to use.
- I used flat pan or tawa to make these kebab on stovetop.
- Use basting brush to baste the kebabs with pan juices to prevent them from drying out.
- I use weber grill to charcoal grill them.
- Use grill basket to prevent kebab from falling off the skewers.
- You can also use grill pan to cook these kebabs.
With Pictures and Links:
Recipes you’ll love:
Watch how to make Adana Kebab:
More Kebab Recipes:
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Ingredients
- ½ kg ground meat (mix of beef and lamb)
- 1 onion (minced, excess water drained)
- 1 red bell pepper (minced, excess water drained)
- 1 long green pepper (minced)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
- 2 teaspoons sumac
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- a few drops of oil (for frying)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands for 7 to 8 minutes until it becomes sticky and fully incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours.
- Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
- Wet your hands and shape each portion around a skewer to form kebabs.
- Heat a flat pan or tawa, brush with oil, and cook the kebabs until fully cooked and nicely charred on both sides, flipping every few minutes.
- Baste the kebabs with pan juices to keep them moist. You can also warm lavash bread over the kebabs to absorb extra flavor.
- Serve with warm lavash bread or bulgur pilaf, grilled veggies, onion salad, and yogurt sauce. Enjoy! And remember “COOKING IS EASY!”
Notes
- Use high-fat meat for juicy kebabs. Traditionally, lamb tail fat is added, but this version uses 30% fat minced meat.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 1 hour to prevent burning.
Never eaten tbis before ?
Delicious recipe and easy to make.