I love Turkish cuisine. It’s simple, delicate and infused beautifully on skewers. Every bite fills your mouth with a rainbow of flavors. You just cannot get enough of it. If you happen to go to Turkey, you will see that irrespective of where you eat, the food is delicious – be it a small family-run restaurant or a large hotel, the food is always full of taste.
A few months ago, I saw a video showing how to make Turkish Chicken Kebabs. The name caught my attention and the very next day I tried the recipe myself. It turned out to be a complete winner for me. Delicious and moist chicken kebabs made with a tasty yet simple yogurt based marinate. The dish did not need much else, really.
Turkish kebabs are very different from traditional Pakistani kebabs. The key to authentic Turkish kebabs is in the quality of the meat and the marinate that is prepared with yogurt, garlic and simple spices. The pieces of meat are skewed closely together on skewers and cooked on a grill pan or barbecue to ensure that the meat remains tender and chewy.
I also made Cheese Naans to plate with the kebabs. Cheese naans are the ‘new black’ in town these days – everyone loves them. I flavored the naans with butter and oregano. The result were beautifully charred and crispy naans from the outside, yet soft from inside with an oozy cheese filling. The perfect meal after a long day!
Ingredients:
Turkish Chicken Kebabs- Chicken (Boneless) – 250 gm, cut into one-inch cubes
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Yogurt – ½ cup
- Salt – ¾ teaspoon
- Paprika - ¾ teaspoon
- Black pepper – ½ teaspoon
- Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Lemon Juice – from 2 lemons
- Oil – 1 tablespoon
- Flour – 2 cups
- Milk – ½ cup (or as required)
- Yeast – 1 tablespoon
- Sugar – 1 teaspoon
- Salt – ¾ teaspoon
- Oil – 1 tablespoon
- Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese – 1 cup
- Oregano – for topping
Instructions:
Turkish Chicken Kebabs- Prepare marinate in a bowl by mixing all the spices with the yogurt
- Marinade the chicken in the yogurt marinate and let it rest for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours
- Heat a grill pan by adding a dash of oil
- Put chicken on skewers, leaving no space in between them, and place on the grill pan
- Grill chicken kebabs on each side for a good 3 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and golden
- Place the prepared kebabs on a plate and garnish with lemon wedges and onion rings, or grated carrots and cabbage
- Put a dollop of yogurt dip on top of the kebab skewers and serve with the Cheese Naans
- Mix a tablespoon of yogurt with red chili flakes
- Sieve the flour, add yeast, salt, sugar and oil. Mix them in flour using your fingertips
- Knead the dough together with your hands, while gradually adding milk, until it has softened. NOTE: Oil your hands while kneading to avoid stickiness. You can also sprinkle flour when it gets too sticky to handle, until the dough is well-kneaded and formed into a ball
- Place the dough in a container and cover with a plastic cling. Then wrap it in a cloth or kitchen towel. Place in a warm place and leave it to rise to approximately double its original size
- Take the dough out and strike it on a smooth surface 5 to 6 times
- Now sprinkle some flour on the same surface and roll the dough
- Make small balls (pairay) from the dough and roughly roll them out like flat bread (roti). The idea is for it to be able to contain cheese fillings
- Fill the balls generously with cheese, and again form the balls, or pairay, by stretching the flat bread at the top
- Sprinkle some flour and roll it in the form of flat bread
- Heat your iron pan (tawwa) over a medium flame until very hot. Grease the pan or tawwa slightly with oil then wipe it off
- Now gently place the naans on the pan, cooking each for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottom has turned browned and almost charred. Flip and cook on the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until beautifully golden brown
- Brush some butter on top, and as a final step, sprinkle some oregano
- Serve hot!
Fatima Ali
I am trained to be an IT professional. I served National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) for six years after graduating from the same university. As long as I can remember, cooking good food has been my passion and it makes me happy. My cooking lessons were a bit unusual though. Back in the day when digital did not mean much, my father would record cooking shows (knorr ka kitchen, kaukab khuwaja and Zee Khana Khazana – Chef Sanjeev Kapoor) for me to watch endless times later on, before trying the recipes out. I would make brownies and cold cake almost every day while my mother was asleep. This was my way of surprising her every evening. My mother cooks amazing food too and I have tried many of the recipes written in her recipe book. I draw inspiration from a number of chefs from televised cooking shows such as Late Chef Farah, Chef Rahat, Chef Mehboob, BBC Food, Masala TV, Chef Shai, Chef Sharmeen, Master Chef Australia and my ultimate favorite Chef Shireen Anwer. I would not be as good a cook I am now without passive guidance from each one of these.
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