Adana Kebab — Hand-Minced Lamb on the Charcoalكباب أضنة
Minced lamb, tail fat, red pepper and salt — that is the entire ingredient list — pressed by hand onto a flat skewer and cooked over charcoal. The discipline is in what you leave out.
Ingredients
- 700 glamb shoulder, coarsely minced
- 150 glamb tail fat, or fatty lamb belly, finely chopped
- 2red peppers, deseeded and very finely chopped
- 1½ tspAleppo pepper
- 2 tspsalt
- 1 tspblack pepper
- to serveflatbread, sliced onion, sumac, parsley, grilled tomato and green chilli
Method
Get the mince right
Adana wants a coarse mince, not the fine paste sold in supermarket trays. Ask a butcher for a single coarse pass through the plate, or chop it by hand with two heavy knives. The fat should be about 20% of the total — without it the kebab is dry and will not hold.
Mix with your hands and nothing else
Combine the lamb, fat, chopped red pepper, Aleppo pepper, salt and black pepper. Knead it with your hands for a full five minutes until it turns sticky and starts to cling to itself. That stickiness is the only thing holding the meat on the skewer. No egg, no breadcrumbs, no onion — onion releases water and makes it fall off.
Chill
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally two hours. Cold, rested meat is dramatically easier to shape.
Shape onto flat skewers
Use wide flat metal skewers — round ones let the meat spin and drop off. Wet your hands, take a handful of meat and squeeze it along the skewer, pressing from the middle outwards into an even sausage about 2cm thick. Press ridges in with your fingers every few centimetres.
Grill over charcoal
Cook over hot coals, turning every minute or so, for 8 to 12 minutes. Keep them moving. The fat dripping will flare — move the skewer rather than letting the flame lick the meat, which blackens it before the middle is done.
Rest on the bread
Lay the skewers on flatbread and leave them a minute, then slide the meat off. The bread soaks up the juices and that piece is the best part of the meal. Serve with onion tossed in sumac, parsley, grilled tomato and chilli.
Or let us cook it
Kabab Lahem — Lamb Kofta
£12.99We make this every day at 12–14 Station Parade, Willesden Green. Dine in, collect or delivery.
Call 07450 254441Questions
Why does my kebab fall off the skewer?
Three reasons, in order: the meat was not kneaded long enough to go sticky, there was not enough fat, or there was onion or another wet ingredient in the mix. Round skewers instead of flat ones make all three worse.
What is the difference between Adana and Urfa kebab?
The same technique and nearly the same ingredients — Adana is made with hot red pepper, Urfa with mild. Adana is the spicy one.
Can I cook Adana kebab without charcoal?
You can use a very hot ridged griddle pan or a grill, and it will be good, but it will not taste the same. The fat dripping onto coals and smoking back up into the meat is most of the flavour — it is why we cook ours over charcoal rather than on a flat top.
PAPA Restaurant & Cafe · 12–14 Station Parade, Willesden Green, London NW2 4NN · 07450 254441