Name: Adana Kebap (Turkish Spicy Minced Lamb Kebab)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 77 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 300 g Ground Goat Meat, cold, preferably fatty; 1 tbsp Turkish Pepper Paste, hot or mild as preferred; 1 tsp Paprika, for color and warmth; ½ tsp Ground Cumin, for seasoning; ¾ tsp Salt, for the kebab mixture; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible; 1 clove Garlic, finely grated; 2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Olive Oil, for brushing; ½ Onion, thinly sliced for serving; ½ tsp Sumac, for onion garnish; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, for serving

Adana Kebap (Turkish Spicy Minced Lamb Kebab)

1 hr 17 mintotal

32 min hands-on45 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 12 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Hot

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Method

Combine the mutton mince, Turkish pepper paste, paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic, and parsley in a bowl.
Mix by hand until the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive, but do not overwork it until tough.
Cover and chill the mixture so it firms up before skewering.
Press the meat mixture firmly around flat skewers or shape into long kebab logs if using a grill pan.
Brush lightly with olive oil and grill over medium-high heat, turning carefully, until browned and cooked through.
Toss sliced onion with sumac and lemon juice, then serve it alongside the hot kebabs.

How to tell it's done

The kebab should be juicy inside, lightly charred outside, and firm enough to hold its shape.

Getting it right

Tip

Use cold mince and chill the shaped kebabs; warm mince can slide off the skewers.

What to serve it with

Serve with sumac onion, lemon wedges, grilled peppers, tomato, or rice pilaf.

Common mistakes

The kebab slides off the skewer on the grill.: Mix until the meat is genuinely tacky, chill it, and press it onto the skewer with wet hands so there are no air pockets. Adana holds together by protein binding rather than by egg or breadcrumb, and a cold, well-worked mixture is what keeps it on.
It comes out dry.: Use mince with fat in it and take the kebabs off as soon as the outside is browned. Lean mince gives a firm, dry kebab whatever you do to it, and a few extra minutes on the grill finishes the job.

Substitutions

Lamb mince can replace mutton mince if available.
Use mild Turkish pepper paste for lower heat, or add chilli flakes for a hotter Adana-style result.
Flat skewers help the meat hold better, but a grill pan can also work for home cooking.

Storing and reheating

The raw mixture keeps a day in the fridge and improves as the spices settle; it freezes for two months, shaped or loose. Grilled kebabs keep two days and reheat best wrapped in foil in a low oven.

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Ingredients