Skip to content

Çökertme kebabı

Çökertme kebabı: Bodrum's beef strips over shoestring potatoes and garlic yoghurt

Çökertme is the kebab Bodrum is proud of: a bed of crisp, matchstick-thin fried potatoes, a layer of garlicky yoghurt, then tender strips of sautéed beef on top, finished with tomato sauce and butter. It is restaurant food in the town but easy to make at home for a Saturday lunch, and the contrast of hot, crunchy, cool and creamy is what makes it. Chef's tip: cut the potatoes very thin and fry them in two batches just before serving; made ahead, they go limp under the yoghurt.
Total time
60 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
4
One step at a time, big text, timers, read-aloud. Your screen stays on.

Ingredients

Serves4

For the meat

For the potatoes

For the yoghurt and sauce

Shop this recipe on Amazon

Fresh ingredients (7)

Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.

Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 1: Mix 14 oz thick plain yoghurt with 2 cloves garlic and set aside.

  2. Step 2: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 1 ⅓ lb potatoes in two batches for 4–5 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and salt lightly. Common mistake: crowding the oil; the sticks clump and go soggy.

    10 min
  3. Step 3: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until smoking. Add 1 ⅛ lb beef sirloin or rump in one layer and sear for 2 minutes without stirring, until browned.

    2 min
  4. Step 4: Add 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, until the onion is soft and the beef cooked to your liking but still juicy.

    4 min
  5. Step 5: In a small pan, melt 1 ⅜ oz butter, add 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes) and sizzle for 1 minute.

    1 min
  6. Step 6: Pile the potatoes on a platter, spoon over the yoghurt, top with the beef and drizzle with the hot red butter. Serve straight away.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
720 kcal
Protein
38 g
Carbs
38 g
Fat
46 g
Fibre
4 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does çökertme kebabı take?
About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of onion?
2 shallots per onion.
What can I use instead of garlic?
½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.

Rate this recipe

Sign in to rate and review this recipe.

Pork souvlaki

This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.

32 minGreekMeat
by KrazyBadal 1 views

Tteokgalbi

Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.

60 minKoreanMeat
by KrazyBadal 1 views

Char siu

Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.

120 minChineseMeat
by KrazyBadal 1 views