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Tas kebabı
Tas kebabı: beef braised slowly with onions and tomato until spoon-tender, served over rice pilaf
Despite the name, tas kebabı never sees a grill: it is a bowl ('tas') of beef braised slowly with lots of onion, tomato and a little pepper paste until the meat is soft and the sauce is rich and glossy. It is a mainstay of esnaf lokantası, the tradesmen's restaurants where workers eat a hot lunch from steam trays, and is served over buttery rice pilaf or alongside mashed potato. Common mistake: crowding the pan when browning, so the beef boils grey. Chef's tip: cook the onions down until jammy before the tomato goes in; they melt into the sauce and give it body without any flour.
- Total time
- 125 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy casserole over a high heat and brown 1 ½ lb beef chuck in batches for 4–5 minutes each, until deeply browned. Set aside.
12 minStep 2: Lower the heat to medium, add 3 onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring, until soft, golden and jammy. Add 3 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
16 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste for 1 minute, then add 2 tomatoes, the beef and its juices, 2 ½ cups hot water, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
2 minStep 4: Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 1½ hours, until the beef breaks apart with a spoon and the sauce is thick and glossy. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
90 minStep 5: Scatter with ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley and serve over rice pilaf.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tas kebabı take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 110 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 gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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