Adana Kebab (Turkish Ground Lamb Kebab)

Our love of kebabs in Turkish cuisine is no secret. There is a unique kebab recipe almost in each city of Turkey. From döner kebab and kofta kebab to iskender kebap and marinated lamb shish kebabs or chicken shish kebab, they are all scrumptious.

Today we are making Adana kebabs, which are made with ground lamb and spices. And we even show how we make Adana dürüm (wraps) using our homemade lavash bread.

These kebabs are relatively quick to make and can even be frozen so prep is much quicker the next time. They have very simplistic yet flavorful ingredients and don't contain anything that is difficult to find.

Let's have a look at exactly how these mouth-watering kebabs are made including making them with different meats and skewers. We will also look at different cooking methods, and what Adana kebap can be served with.

What Is Adana Kebab?

Adana kebabs are one of the most delicious Turkish dishes and they originated in Adana, which is the fifth largest city in Turkey. These are very unique kebabs that are made with lamb meat, preferably hand-minced with a special sharp knife called zırh.

This flat kebab is mounted on large skewers, either iron or wooden, and then grilled on charcoal fire. The skewers can sometimes be as long as 2 meters depending on the number of the people ordering it.

Ingredients

Adana kebap recipe is traditionally made from ground lamb meat (lamb mince), red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt. Today, you will find a wide range of varieties that uses other spices as well, but the traditional recipe doesn’t.

Normally we would recommend ground beef as a substitute for ground lamb, it wouldn't be Adana kebabı then. Fatty lamb mince is what makes this kebap unique and tasty. 

Having said that, you can make the same recipe with ground beef (with 30% fat) if you avoid lamb meat. It is even possible to create a ground chicken Adana kebab recipe if that is what you want.

It is a spicy kebap recipe but you can reduce the amount of the spices if you want, especially the hot red pepper flakes (or chili flakes).

Optional Add-Ins:

Although it is not traditional or authentic, you can add grated onions (juice drained) and garlic in the minced meat mixture. You might need these especially if it is not easy to find fatty lamb in your area. You know, just to make the flavor better.

If the lamb meat is good enough, you don't need many spices to flavor your kebap. But you can always add black pepper, cumin and even sumac if you want to feel more spices.

What Meat Is Used In Adana Kebap?

An authentic Adana kebab (Adana kofte) recipe is made from young male lamb meat. The lamb should only be fed in its natural environment. Just like a good sac kavurma or doner food, lamb meat is the most important key for this delicious kebab. This lamb meat is minced by hand and then combined with lamb tail fat, which is a special fat from the lamb’s tail part. 

Today, however, like with most traditional recipes, there are a ton of variants on this recipe. Most people use lamb meat only regardless of its gender, age, or origin.

And we are aware that finding tail fat is the world’s easiest thing if you are not in Turkey. So we will be using regular ground lamb (with a high fat ratio) in this recipe for Adana kebab. It still comes out super tasty.

Can I Bake These In The Oven?

If you do not have a cast-iron skillet or griddle pan, you can bake your Adana meat kebabs.

Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper or a silicone sheet. Add a wire rack or cooling rack over the tray. This allows each Adana kebap to get the maximum amount of heat all around without laying in its own juices and falling apart.

Your oven should be preheated at 400°F (200°C). Lay the kebabs in a single layer on the wire rack and bake them for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn them around. Place the tomatoes and peppers on the rack as well and bake everything for another 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and serve warm. This method is a bit more time-consuming, but a lot less work.

Serving Adana Dürüm

Traditionally, we always serve Adana kofte on flatbreads like lavash, pide bread or pita bread. And we make Adana dürüm by placing the kebap on the bread, topping it with some salad and rolling it up.

Also, just like we do when serving chicken doner kebab, it could be served with some rice or bulgur pilavı on a plate. And some other must-have side dishes to serve along with this ground lamb kebab are as follows:

• Sumac onions
• Turkish acili ezme (Turkish style tomato salsa)
• Piyaz (white bean salad)
• Shepherd salad (Coban Salad) (finely chopped tomato and cucumber salad)
• Cacik (yogurt sauce with cucumbers)
• Haydari (yogurt and feta dip)
• Eggplant Salad

FAQs  

• Can I use ground beef instead? You can definitely use ground beef instead of lamb, but keep in mind that the taste will be drastically different and it won’t be traditional.
• How do you keep kebabs from falling apart? When mincing the lamb meat, you shouldn’t grind or mince it too fine. The texture in the meat helps bind it and keep it from falling apart. Also cooking them in the pan helps prevent this. 
• Can these kebabs be frozen? Another thing that makes these kebabs so amazing is that they can be frozen! The best way to do so is after they have been shaped (put on a skewer) but before they have been cooked. Place them in an airtight container, placing a sheet of nonstick baking paper between the layers. When you are ready to defrost them, simply remove them from the freezer and defrost them in a single layer in the refrigerator.
• Can I use metal skewers? If you don’t have any wooden skewers, or you prefer using metal ones, you can easily do so with this Adana kebab recipe.  Instead of soaking the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes, you can refrigerate the metal skewers instead. By following this method, it helps the meat stick to the skewer and ultimately prevents the ground lamb kebabs from falling apart.
• Where can I eat the best Adana kebab? If you are planning to visit Turkey some day, keep in mind that the best kebab is in Adana. You can find these Adana kebabs everywhere in the city of Adana, but in our experience, the smaller local restaurants always serve much better kebabs than the more luxurious ones.

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