Firstly, I would like to clarify that the term “Oriental” is used to refer to the Middle Eastern region. I myself used to get confused when I first arrived in Europe as my earlier knowledge of the word “Oriental” indicated Asian culture.
Anyway, I’ll like to introduce some Middle-Eastern dishes this time round – particularly kebabs. In general, kebabs are skewers with pieces of meat, fish or vegetables, which are grilled or roasted over a spit.
Traditionally, lamb is used as the primary meat source. But as the tradition of kebabs spread, and started incorporating religious or other traditional values, other meats came to be used.
Some of you might have kebab fast food stores in your neighbourhood since the kebab culture has spread far and wide. But there is a reason why it’s nice to try the recipes out. This allows you to choose the quality of meat used in preparing it, making it a healthier option, as more often than not, kebab eateries use less desirable cuts.
#1 Turkish Lamb Kebabs
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 650g leg of lamb, cut into cubes
- 1 tsp of crushed black pepper
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp of ground Maras pepper
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- 5 cherry tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- salt (to taste)
- 4 pieces of pita bread
Steps:
1. Tomato Dressing:
- In a bowl, mix the red onion, cherry tomatoes, Maras pepper, dried oregano, parsley, a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil together. Then set it aside.
2. Meat Skewers:
- Pre-heat your grill on high for 10 minutes.
- Toss the lamb cubes with black pepper, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Pierce 4 cubes of lamb onto each skewer. Make sure you leave some space between cubes to allow a more balanced grill of the meat pieces.
- Grease your grill rack and place the skewers of lamb on it.
- Lower the heat of the grill and place the grill rack into your grill.
- Let it grill for 4-5 minutes then turn the skewers over and grill for another 4 minutes.
3. Pita Bread:
- While grilling the meat, cut the pita bread in halves. Brush the inside of the bread with the remaining olive oil.
- Once the meat is grilled, grill the pita halves for less than 1 minute.
4. To Serve:
- Remove the meat from the skewers, divide them into 8 equal portions and stuff them into the pita halves.
- Drizzle the tomato dressing onto the lamb.
- Serve warm.
To add a refreshing salad on the side to serve with your Turkish lamb kebabs, you might want to try the following Turkish salad recipe.
#2 Turkish Salad
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 2 large organic tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
- 1 onion, cut into rings
- 1 handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1 green pepper, cut into rings
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- pinch of salt
Steps:
1. In a salad bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of salt and stir.
2. Toss all the other ingredients together with the lemon juice dressing and chill it before serving.
#3 Turkish Chicken Kebab
This recipe can be barbequed or grilled.
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 1kg skinless & boneless chicken, cut into cubes
- 1 ½ tbsp of paprika
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt (plain)
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp of ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp of warm water
Steps:
1. Chicken Marinade:
- In a large bowl, add in the paprika and warm water and stir into a paste.
- Then add the yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, garlic, black pepper and whisk them together.
- Lastly, add the cubes of chicken and let it marinate overnight by keeping it chilled.
2. Preheat the grill on high for 8 minutes before lowering it to medium heat if you’re grilling, or prepare your barbecue set until the heat reaches medium level.
3. Pierce the chicken cubes with skewers, 4-5 cubes each. Sprinkle extra paprika and some salt onto the chicken.
4. After brushing the grill/barbecue rack with oil, place the skewers on top to grill for 11-15 minutes, turning the skewers every 3-4 minutes.
5. Once cooked, remove chicken from the skewers.
Serving suggestion: Grilled pepper bells taste nice with these chicken kebabs. For a more tangy taste, serve with wedges of lime so that your guests can squeeze the juice onto chicken.
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