Adana kebab at home

Adana kebab is named after the Turkish city it comes from: hand-minced lamb, seasoned with chilli and a little fat for juiciness, moulded onto flat metal skewers and grilled hard over charcoal. It's one of the most-ordered dishes on our menu, and it's easier to make at home than you might think.

What you'll need

• 500g lamb mince (ask your butcher for a little extra fat, around 20%, for juiciness)
• 1 small onion, grated and squeezed of excess liquid
• 2 red peppers or 1 to 2 fresh red chillies, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of chilli flakes to taste
• Salt
• Flat metal skewers, if you have them (a wide flat skewer stops the kebab spinning as you turn it)

Method

Combine the lamb mince, onion, peppers or chilli, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt in a bowl. Knead the mixture with your hands for a good few minutes, longer than feels necessary, until it turns slightly sticky and holds together. This is what keeps the kebab from falling apart on the grill.

Rest the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour, ideally longer, so the flavours settle. Wet your hands, take a handful and mould it onto a flat skewer, pressing and elongating it into a long, ridged sausage shape.

Grill over hot charcoal, turning regularly, for around 10 to 12 minutes until charred on the outside and cooked through. No charcoal at home? A very hot griddle pan will get you most of the way there, though nothing quite replaces live coals.

Serving it the Ottomans way

We serve ours with warm flatbread, grilled tomatoes and sumac onions, with a cool spoonful of cacik on the side to balance the chilli. If you'd rather leave the charcoal to us, our Lamb and Chicken Adana Kebabs are on the menu every day, halal and cooked fresh to order for dine-in or collection at 117 Wood Street.