AI-generated image
Simit kebabı
Simit kebabı: Gaziantep's grilled skewers of lamb mince kneaded with fine bulgur and chilli
In Gaziantep 'simit' means fine bulgur, not the sesame ring, and the city's kebab grills knead it into spicy lamb mince before shaping long flat skewers over charcoal. The bulgur soaks up the juices, so the kebab is tender inside with a crisp, charred crust. Serve on lavaş or thin flatbread with grilled tomatoes, peppers and a heap of sumac onions. Knead the mixture for a full ten minutes; under-kneaded meat falls off the skewer. Chef's tip: chill the shaped skewers for 30 minutes before grilling so they keep their shape over the heat.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kebab
To serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pour ¼ cup hot water over 3 ½ oz fine bulgur and leave for 10 minutes to swell.
10 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb lamb mince (20% fat), 1 onion, 1 tbsp Turkish hot red pepper paste, 2 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli flakes), 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt and knead hard for 10 minutes, until sticky and smooth.
10 minStep 3: With wet hands, mould the mixture into 8 long flat kebabs around wide metal skewers. Chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 4: Toss 1 red onion with 1 tbsp sumac and ½ oz flat-leaf parsley and set aside.
Step 5: Grill over hot charcoal or under a very hot grill for 10–12 minutes, turning every few minutes, until charred outside and cooked through to at least 160°F in the centre. Grill 4 tomatoes and 4 long green peppers alongside until blistered.
12 minStep 6: Warm 4 lavaş or thin flatbreads on the grill for a few seconds, slide the kebabs onto it and serve with the vegetables and sumac onions.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does simit kebabı take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
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.
Greek
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.
Korean
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.
Chinese