Iskender Kebab Recipe

Iskender Kebab: It is one of the most popular meat dishes in Turkish cuisine and is also trendy around the globe.

Iskender Kebab has thinly sliced doner Iskender kebab on top of lightly grilled pide bread with the doner fat and generously soaked with a tomato puree, served with yogurt and grilled tomatoes and peppers on the side. It takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century Ottoman Empire.

Where you can taste the best Iskender kebab in Turkey? Here are some of the best Turkish restaurants list to eat Iskender kebab before I share the recipe to make at home.

If you want to try Iskender kebab where it was invented, you can eat the best “İskender Kebap” in Kebapçı İskender in Bursa city. On the other hand in Istanbul, Bursa Kebapçısı around the Beyoğlu area and Kebapçı İskender in the Kadıköy area are famous and recommended.

Recently I had a trip to Eyüp district in Istanbul and tasted İskender near Eyup Sultan Mosque at Eskiler Doner Kebab It was a hearty kebab to have. You can try it if you visit that area. Make sure to watch my trip and places to see to plan your Eyüp visit.

We are going to make the Iskender kebab’s doner at home from scratch including the doner meat kebab. Normally we serve plain doners with rice pilav on the side. But the Iskender style takes it to another level indeed. You will be amazed by the taste and how similar it is to the restaurants if you already tasted it.

Ingredients For Iskender Kebab Recipe

• For the doner kebab:
• 500gr. tenderloin meat
• 500gr. ground meat (i used beef, you can also use half lamb meat)
• For the meat marinade:
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground red pepper
• 1 tsp oregano (optional)
• about 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• For the ground beef marinade:
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 medium onion
• For the tomato sauce:
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp each butter and tomato paste
• 2 grated tomatoes
• salt, black pepper and paprika
• enough hot water to make a thick sauce
• For frying:
• 2-3 tbsp butter or olive oil (or if you prefer to add some lamb tail fat, traditionally it is must-have for a deeper taste. But for home conditions, butter works fine too:)
• For the serving:
• grilled green peppers and tomato wedges, thick yogurt, melted butter

Preparing Home Style Doner Kebab:

First, we have to marinate the meats to tenderize and give extra flavor. To make it easier I used a food processor.

• For the ground beef marinade, process onion, add black pepper, pulse a couple of times and transfer to a plate.
  
• For tenderloin meat, in the same food processor process onion, yogurt, olive oil, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and oregano (optional) and add the tenderloin pieces and rub the sauce all over the meat.
  
• In a freezer bag alternately place one tenderloin piece and spred big chunk of ground beef on top of it. Continue to stack up until ground beef and meat pieces are finished.
  
• Roll the excess freezer bag to make a big even log. First let it marinade in the fridge for about 4-6 hours if possible or freeze until it is firm enough to slice. You can keep in the freezer and take it out half an hour or so before you want to use.

Make The Tomato sauce:

In a medium-size saucepan heat butter and oil, saute tomato paste. Add grated tomatoes, season them with salt, and spices. Cook until tomatoes are cooked and shiny. Add enough hot water to make a thick sauce. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes and turn off the heat. Let it warm up when using.

Cooking Iskender Doner Kebab:

• Take out the frozen doner meat about half an hour before you begin to cook. It should be stilll hard but you should be able to slice it thinly. Heat up cast iron pan or nonstick pan. Add a little bit butter or olive oil and add doner slices.
• The heat should be medium-high. When they begin to cook the meat pieces will shrink. After it turns into brown stir and cook until it turns brown but don’t overcook so it doesnt get dry. Meanwhile I also grilled some green peppers and tomato wedges in another grilling pan or use the flame on stovetop.
• Continue to slice and cook the doner meats as much as you want to serve and keep the rest of the meat in the freezer. To keep the cooked doner hot, put it in another pan and close a lid.

How To Serve Iskender Kebab:

To serve traditionally we use fluffy flatbread “tırnak pide” I shared it in another episode on my YT channel so until I write another recipe post, you can watch and make it. Or use similar flatbread preferably fluffy

• After cooking the doner meat as much as you want to serve, in the same pan heat the pide. To make the traditional look Place it on a cutting board, and cut it into about 3 cm squares keeping the shape if possible.
  
• Slide the pide to a wide, big serving plate. Drizzle hot tomato sauce or soak the bread. Place cooked warm doner to cover the pides. Add 2 big gallops of thick yogurt to the side along with girlled tomatoes and peppers on the other side.
• Finally melt and sizzle more butter and drizzle on top of the iskender kebab right before you serve and enjoy!

Iskender Kebab Recipe

Iskender Kebab: It is one of the most popular meat dishes of Turkish cuisine and is also trendy around the globe. It takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century Ottoman Empire. It has thinly sliced doner Iskender kebab on top of lightly grilled pide bread with the doner fat and generously soaked with a tomato puree, served with yogurt and grilled tomatoes and peppers on the side. We are going to make the Iskender kebab’s doner at home from scratch including the doner meat kebab. Normally we serve plain doners with rice pilav on the side. But the Iskender style takes it to another level indeed. You will be amazed by the taste and how similar it is to the restaurants if you already tasted it.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

resting time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

For the doner kebab:

• 500 gr. tenderloin meat
• 500 gr. ground meat i used beef, you can also use half lamb meat

For the meat marinade:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tsp black pepper ground red pepper
• 1 tsp oregano optional
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil

For the ground beef marinade:

• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 medium onion

For the tomato sauce:

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp each butter and tomato paste
• 2 grated tomatoes
• salt black pepper and paprika
• enough hot water to make a thick sauce

For frying:

• 5-6 tbsp butter or olive oil or if you prefer to add some lamb tail fat, traditionally it is must-have for a deeper taste. But for home conditions, butter works fine too:

For Serving

• 6-7 green peppers
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 cup thick yogurt
• 4 tbsp butter

Instructions

 

• First, we have to marinate the meats to tenderize and give extra flavor. To make it easier I used a food processor.
• For the ground beef marinade, process onion, add black pepper, pulse a couple of times and transfer to a plate.
• For tenderloin meat, in the same food processor process onion, yogurt, olive oil, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and oregano (optional) and add the tenderloin pieces and rub the sauce all over the meat.
• In a freezer bag alternately place one tenderloin piece and spred big chunk of ground beef on top of it. Continue to stack up until ground beef and meat pieces are finished.
• roll the excess freezer bag to make a big even log. First let it marinade in the fridge for about 4-6 hours if possible or freeze until it is firm enough to slice. You can keep in the freezer and take it out half an hour or so before you want to use.

Make The Tomato sauce:

• In a medium-size saucepan heat butter and oil, saute tomato paste. Add grated tomatoes, season them with salt, and spices. Cook until tomatoes are cooked and shiny. Add enough hot water to make a thick sauce. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes and turn off the heat. Let it warm up when using.

Cooking Iskender Doner Kebab:

• Take out the frozen doner meat about half an hour before you begin to cook. It should be stilll hard but you should be able to slice it thinly. Heat up cast iron pan or nonstick pan. Add a little bit butter or olive oil and add doner slices.
• The heat should be medium-high. When they begin to cook the meat pieces will shrink. After it turns into brown stir and cook until it turns brown but don’t overcook so it doesnt get dry. Meanwhile I also grilled some green peppers and tomato wedges in another grilling pan or use the flame on stovetop.
• Continue to slice and cook the doner meats as much as you want to serve and keep the rest of the meat in the freezer. To keep the cooked doner hot, put it in another pan and close a lid.

How To Serve Iskender Kebab:

• To serve traditionally we use fluffy flatbread “tırnak pide” I shared it in another episode on my YT channel so until I write another recipe post, you can watch and make it. Or use similar flatbread preferably fluffy
• After cooking the doner meat as much as you want to serve, in the same pan heat the pide. To make the traditional look Place it on a cutting board, and cut it into about 3 cm squares keeping the shape if possible.
• Slide the pide to a wide, big serving plate. Drizzle hot tomato sauce or soak the bread. Place cooked warm doner to cover the pides. Add 2 big gallops of thick yogurt to the side along with girlled tomatoes and peppers on the other side.
• Finally melt and sizzle more butter and drizzle on top of the iskender kebab right before you serve and enjoy!

Keyword doner kebab, iskender kebab recipe, turkish kebab recipes