Iskender Kebab with Garlic Yoghurt and Tomato Butter

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

Bursa's most famous plate, made at home: spiced lamb kebab piled on crisp cubes of buttery pide bread, drowned in a glossy tomato butter sauce and cooled with garlicky yoghurt. Messy, generous and utterly addictive.

Per serving: 905 kcal · 45.0g protein · 58.0g carbs · 54.0g fat

Ingredients

• 600g lamb mince (20% fat)
• 1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for cooking
• 2 large Turkish pide or flatbreads, cut into 3cm cubes
• 400g thick Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed (for the yoghurt)
• 1/2 tsp salt (for the yoghurt)
• 100g unsalted butter
• 400g passata or sieved tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp Turkish pepper paste or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 long green peppers or 2 tomatoes, halved, to grill
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp sumac, to finish

Method

1. Mix the lamb mince with grated onion, 3 crushed garlic cloves, cumin, paprika, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Knead for 3-4 minutes until sticky and paste-like, then chill 15 minutes.
2. Shape into 8 flat ovals about 1.5cm thick, or press onto flat skewers.
3. Stir the yoghurt with the small crushed garlic clove and 1/2 tsp salt. Leave at room temperature.
4. For the tomato butter, melt 50g of the butter in a pan, add tomato purée and pepper paste and fry 1 minute. Pour in the passata, add sugar and a pinch of salt, and simmer 12-15 minutes until thick and glossy. Whisk in another 25g butter off the heat.
5. Toast the pide cubes in a dry frying pan or hot oven (200C) for 6-8 minutes until crisp at the edges but still chewy inside.
6. Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan or griddle over high heat. Cook the kebabs 3-4 minutes per side until charred and just cooked. Grill the peppers or tomato halves alongside. Rest 3 minutes, then slice the kebabs into thick strips.
7. Scatter the bread over four warm plates. Spoon over most of the tomato sauce, top with the lamb strips, then more sauce.
8. Melt the last 25g butter until foaming and nut-brown and drizzle over the meat.
9. Spoon the garlic yoghurt alongside, add the grilled peppers, and finish with parsley and a good dusting of sumac. Eat immediately.