If you’ve been following my recipes or Instagram account for a while, you’ll know I have a thing for Adana kebabs. It started (maybe?) with the late-night, fat-spitting, t-shirt stainer they sell in wraps at FM Mangal and now I’m constantly making them at home, be it in crispy kebab rolls, as this ‘yogurtlu’ version smothered in yoghurt and spiced butter, or the many straight-up, wrap-it-in-flatbread-with-salad iterations. The basic recipe – as recipes do – has constantly evolved.

This is the most up to date version and, I think, the best yet. Why? It’s a case of using the right amount of the red pepper paste so it’s pronounced but not bitter, plus I just really enjoy the mix of spices. Parsley stalks are pretty crucial too because they bring a slight crunch and pops of fresh flavour, while the leaves tend to get lost.

Method is important, so make sure you knead the meat mixture then chill it for a springier texture and to stop it falling off the skewers during cooking. Also, don’t make them too large because they won’t cook evenly. Keep the accompaniments fairly simple; yoghurt is essential and I also like to serve an onion, sumac and parsley salad, plus plenty of freshly made flatbreads. Yes, it’s worth making the flatbreads. A couple of people have asked me to do a flatbread tutorial on Instagram, so I’ll get around to that as soon as I can. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these! Remember, guys: it’s never too cold to barbecue.

New Adana Kebab Recipe (makes 6 kebabs)

*** THIS IS NOTHING LIKE A TRADITIONAL ADANA KEBAB RECIPE, IT WAS JUST INSPIRED BY ONE***

For the spice mix

1-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon chilli flakes

Toast the whole spices (apart from the chilli flakes) in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then grind all the spices using a spice grinder.

For the kebabs

6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (biber salçası – available in Turkish shops such as The Turkish Food Centre)
2 tablespoons parsley stalks
400g minced lamb
2 teaspoons salt

Combine the garlic cloves and salt in a pestle and mortar and smoosh to a paste. Combine with a tablespoon of the spice mix, the red pepper paste, parsley stalks and minced lamb. Knead the meat in the bowl using your hands, as if you are kneading bread dough. Do this for a few minutes, then allow to rest in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour but if you can do this day before, even better.

Divide between 6 large skewers.

Cook the kebabs over direct heat on a barbecue. You know the drill here, right? Make sure your coals are properly ready, e.g. covered in a layer of grey ash before you start cooking. No flames. They’ll take around 3-4 minutes each side (it’s useful to have a pair of tongs on hand to turn them).

For the onion salad

Slice one onion and add the slices to a bowl of iced water for around 20 minutes or so. Combine with a good handful of chopped parsley leaves, some salt and a tablespoon of sumac.

For the flatbreads

I think you can’t beat fresh flatbreads with this. That recipe uses spices but you can just leave them out (as I did).

There are some really great restaurants very close to my house, which is both a blessing and a curse, believe me. Recently, for example, I had to introduce a ban on visiting Xinjiang restaurant Silk Road because I started to tire of cumin lamb skewers and hand-pulled noodles. Can you imagine? Then, the other night, we had to turn around while on our way to Theo’s pizzeria because omfg it was getting embarrassing to go in there.

Another ‘problem’ has been my long and well-documented love affair with the lamb Adana wrap from F M Mangal and to be honest that’s not something I’ve managed to shake off. My most recent sticky little habit? Their Adana yogurtlu (and when I say ‘recent’ I mean it’s something I’ve been addicted to for the last four years).

This is a dish that combines everything I love about Turkish food. There’s yoghurt and spiced butter, there’s charred tomato sauce and fluffy bread and there are those fatty little kebabs, hot and fragrant. The yoghurt soaks into the bread at the bottom so it swells up all plump and happy, just like me after I’ve eaten it. It’s one big mess of smoke-licked Turkish fun and for a while, I just couldn’t get enough. I fell hard. I wanted more.

I knew I could make it at home but really, why would I when it’s right there, just across the road? Well, because. Because I’m a cook and a food writer and I can’t bloody help myself. Also, what if someone didn’t get to experience the joy of Adana yogurtlu, just because they don’t live near an FM Mangal? That would be a sad thing indeed. They would need a recipe. I was doing it for the people *thumps hand to chest in solidarity*.

You could cook this on the BBQ like I did for this recipe but it’s cold out, guys. I whacked them under the grill making sure to get lots of nice crispy bits. The dish needs to taste mangalised (that’s definitely a word, albeit an entirely new one). It’s a great feed, I tell ya, so do consider making it unless you live opposite FM Mangal, in which case, carry on. Will I stop going to FM Mangal now I’ve made this recipe? Will I hell. I’m busy and anyway, they give us Raki.

This post is part of some work I did with Leisure range cookers (it’s the second of two recipes, the first is here). I was their ‘meat representative’. You can find out more about the campaign here.

Adana Yogurtlu Recipe

This recipe will serve 6.

You’ll find the recipe for the Adana here.

For the tomato sauce

1 regular onion, finely chopped
½ green pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons chilli flakes
Olive oil

Cook the onion and pepper gently in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for a few mins. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer, put a lid on and let cook very gently for about 1.5 hours. Blend the sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

For the spiced butter

100g butter
2 heaped teaspoons Urfa chilli

To serve

Pitta, toasted (1 per person makes sense but hey, up to you)
Natural yoghurt (must be full fat, don’t mess about)
Chopped parsley

To assemble

Spread some yoghurt onto a plate. Layer with chopped, toasted pitta, more yoghurt, sliced Adana kebabs, tomato sauce, a final dollop of yoghurt and then a generous drizzle of spiced butter. Scatter with parsley. Serve.

A few weeks back I was all geared up to tell you how I’ve been writing this blog for ten years. Ten years! I would tell the story of how it all started, reminiscing about the first post I wrote and what I’d cooked. There was even a special ‘anniversary’ recipe – further evidence that I’m a sentimental douche.

Then I realised that actually, I’ve only been going for nine years. Pathetic. I got it wrong and so you’ll have to wait to hear how I got into trouble with the council because I started a food blog. And no you can’t look up the post, clever clogs, because when I changed the design of this site the first time around, a load of stuff got lost, including that. I’m not even lying because I’m embarrassed and I don’t want you to read it, (if you want to find some terrible cringe-y old content on here then there’s plenty more to choose from).

So the new, celebratory recipe I’d been working on was a kebab, which possibly reveals that my first ever recipe on here was, too, of that nature. I feel like I started out strong and then maintained a stream of posts dominated by grilled meat, swearing, butter, hot sauce, BBQ and general mischief.

Anyway, we’re not getting into all that until next year. What I’m doing now is giving you a bonus Adana kebab recipe because YOU’RE WORTH IT. This is Donald’s recipe for kebabs, which is annoying because it’s better than the one I made and then published in my book. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? The recipe in my book is still great, FYI, it’s just that you know, recipes evolve and all that. This Adana is so much more an Adana for ‘right now’. It understands me in a way that no other Adana does. It’s not the old Adana’s fault, it’s mine etc. etc.

The reason they’re so good is partly down to the spice mix, partly down to the cooking method. They’re not even really proper Adana, that’s just what we call them because they’re spicy and made with lamb.

The other great thing here is the side salad, which takes the method of Sichuan smacked cucumbers but uses flavours more appropriate for Turkish kebabs. So it’s got loads of garlic as usual but also sumac and Turkish chilli and it might even be my new favourite summer salad. So there.

You’ll cook these kebabs on the BBQ, obviously, and eat them with flatbreads and yoghurt while you practice counting to ten. It’s surprisingly easy to get rusty.

Donald’s Not-Adana Kebabs Recipe

*** THIS IS NOTHING LIKE A TRADITIONAL ADANA KEBAB, RECIPE IT WAS JUST INSPIRED BY ONE***

For the spice mix

2-inch cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon caraway seeds
4 dried red chillies
6 cardamom pods
20 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt

Bash the cinnamon stick a bit then grind the whole lot in a spice grinder.

For the basting sauce

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sumac
2 teaspoons Urfa (Turkish) chilli flakes
2 teaspoons sea salt
A grind of black pepper

Mix it all together.

For the kebabs

750g minced lamb
2 red chillies, de-seeded
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Generous handful parsley leaves, chopped
1.5 tablespoons spice mix (above)

Mix everything together and knead it really well with your hands – about 5 minutes. This is important for the texture of the kebabs so don’t skip it. Divide into six portions (or whatever your skewers will allow) and shape into logs. Thread skewers into the logs. It’s best to use flat, wide skewers here or you risk the kebabs falling off. If yours are quite round, use two per kebab.

Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or so. Prepare a BBQ with the coals to one side – it’s best to cook them to one side because otherwise the fat will drip and make the BBQ flare up, burning your kebabs.

Cook the kebabs on the cooler side of the BBQ, basting frequently with the sauce and turning until cooked through – around 10-15 minutes. Towards the end of cooking time, lay the flatbreads on top of the kebabs to get some smoke flavour into them and heat them through. Serve the kebabs on top of the breads so the juices run into them.

To serve

Flatbreads
Yoghurt
Cucumber salad (below)
A skewer each of onion slices and chillies (brush with oil and grill on the BBQ while the kebabs are cooking)

Turkish Smacked Cucumbers

2 of those small cucumbers you get in Middle Eastern grocers or one large English cucumber
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Urfa chilli
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (we used ‘grape vinegar’ from the Turkish supermarket but use red wine vinegar (same thing?!), cider vinegar, whatever)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Halve the cucumbers then place them seed side down on a chopping board. Smack them with the side of a cleaver or something else until they’re smashed a bit. Chop into 2cm lengths and mix with all the other ingredients.