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Türkiye, Middle East and Africa

İskender Kebab

Bursa's famous dish: thin slices of spiced beef over toasted pide with tomato-butter sauce and yogurt, finished with sizzling butter poured at the table.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Extra waiting time+ 1 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsDon't overload the pan; cook the beef until the edges are browned and eat it straight away.

Method

  1. Put the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up, then slice it across the grain into 2–3 mm thick, 5 cm long pieces. Grate the onion and squeeze out the juice, mix it with the yogurt, oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and thyme, toss the meat in it and marinate in the fridge for .

    Add in this stepBeef sirloin or rump (or lamb leg) 300 gOnion (grated, juice only) ½Plain yogurt (marinade) 2 tbspOil (marinade) 1½ tbspSalt (marinade) ¾ tspBlack pepper ½ tspGround cumin ½ tspSweet paprika ¾ tspDried thyme ½ tsp

  2. Melt the sauce butter in a small 14 cm pan and fry the tomato paste on medium heat for , until brick-red and no longer raw-smelling. Stir in the water, salt and sugar, lower to low heat and simmer for into a glossy sauce the thickness of single cream.

    Add in this stepButter (sauce) 15 gTomato paste 1½ tbspWater 150 mlSalt (sauce) 1 pinchSugar 1 pinch

    medium heat→low heat

  3. Heat a dry pan on medium-high heat and roll the tomatoes (whole or halved) and peppers (pricked a few times with a toothpick) in it for , until blistered black in places and soft.

    Add in this stepTomatoes (for blistering) 2Long mild green peppers 2

    medium-high heat

  4. Cut the pide into 2–3 cm cubes and toss them in a dry pan on medium heat for , just until crisp outside. Spread them on warm plates and spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce over each portion to moisten.

    Add in this stepPide or thick flatbread 160 g

    medium heat

  5. Heat a pan on high heat until it just starts to smoke. Shake the marinade off the meat, lay it in a single layer and cook in 2 batches, each. Don't stir too much: take it out when the edges brown and the juices have evaporated. An overcrowded pan stews the meat, so always cook in batches.

    high heat

  6. Pile the meat over the bread and pour the rest of the sauce over the meat. Add a generous spoonful of room-temperature yogurt on the side, with the blistered tomatoes and peppers.

    Add in this stepThick yogurt (Greek-style, at room temperature) 200 g

  7. Melt the finishing butter in a small pan on medium heat for , until foaming, golden and nutty-smelling, then turn off the heat and stir in the pul biber. At the table, pour the hot butter straight over the meat so it sizzles.

    Add in this stepButter (to finish) 45 gPul biber (Aleppo-style chilli flakes) ½ tsp

    medium heat

Cook's tip

Keep the yogurt at room temperature so it pairs well with the hot meat and butter. Thin slicing is the key to the dish; a butcher can slice it for you as for hot pot or bulgogi.

Cooking it at camp

Slice and marinate the meat at home and carry it in a zip bag in the cooler at 4 °C or below. At the campsite, sear it in batches on a cast-iron pan or griddle; make the sauce ahead in a jar so you only need to warm it.