Kebab (Shish Kebab)
Turkish shish kebab — meat marinated in yogurt and spices, threaded on skewers and grilled hot. Charred outside, juicy inside, served with warm flatbread, salad, and yogurt sauce; a Mediterranean favorite.
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh or lamb · cut into cubes500 g
- Onion · half grated for marinade, half for skewers1
- Bell pepper · bite-size, for skewers1
- Pita/flatbread · to serve
- Yogurt marinade
- Plain yogurt4 tbsp
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Lemon juice1 tbsp
- Garlic · minced2 cloves
- Paprika1 tbsp
- Cumin1 tsp
- Chili powder · optional0.5 tsp
- Salt & pepper · generous
- To serve (optional)
- Tomato, cucumber, onion · salad
- Yogurt sauce, sumac · to taste
Steps
- ⏲ 2 min
Mix the marinade (yogurt, olive oil, lemon, garlic, grated onion, spices, salt, pepper).
- ⏲ 60 min
Cube the meat and coat in the marinade; rest at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
- ⏲ 10 min
Thread the meat onto skewers, alternating with onion and pepper. Soak wooden skewers 30 minutes first.
- ⏲ 10 min
Grill or pan-sear over high heat, turning to cook all sides — charred outside, juicy inside.
Warm the pita or flatbread.
Serve the kebabs with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce — or wrap them in the bread.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Doner kebab: Vertical-rotisserie meat shaved thin and wrapped in bread, street-food style.
- Adana kebab: Spiced minced meat molded onto skewers and grilled — a spicy kebab.
- Chicken/lamb/beef: Use whichever meat you like.
- Vegetarian: Halloumi, mushrooms, and vegetables.
Tips
- A yogurt marinade tenderizes the meat and carries the spices — the longer, the better.
- Grill hot and fast to char the outside while keeping the inside juicy.
- Grating the onion into the marinade boosts the tenderizing.
- Soak wooden skewers so they don't burn.
- A sprinkle of sumac and lemon adds a tangy lift that cuts the richness.
The basics behind this dish
- Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
- Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
- Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.
More of the same kind
More from this country
Turkish →
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