Turkish Kebab: Belen Tava / Dinner / Iftar Menu

A mouth-watering kebab from the Southeastern part of Turkey, Belen Tava. Another festive dinner menu includes 2 new traditional recipes from Turkish cuisine.

First a mouth-watering kebab from the southeastern part of Turkey, Belen Tava. The name comes from a town named Belen in Hatay city. It has an early preparation but powerful secret ingredients that are used in most kebab recipes.

Ingredients:

• 600 gr. beefsteak
• 2 medium-size onion
• 2 medium-size tomatoes
• 1 red sweet capia pepper
• 3-4 sweet to mild hot green peppers
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp each black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp butter
• Tail fat, about 2-3 tbsp – Check below for a recipe (if you can’t find use 2 tbsp more butter )
• Medium-size earthenware baking dish ( Guvech ) or oven-safe deep dish baking pan
• Baking paper to cover the kebab

How To Make Turkish Belen Tava Kebab

Chopping & Mixing:

1. Chop the onions into bigger size chunks. Then continue to chop red and green peppers into same size cubes.
2. Add chopped tomatoes again into medium-size chunks. Don’t crush or mince the garlics. Just chop it coarsely. And going to cut the meat into similar size cubes.
3. After chopping the ingredients, season it with some salt, red pepper flakes “pul biber”, black pepper and cumin. Then going to give it a good mix.
4. Traditionally we use earthenware baking pan “güveç“. But if you haven’t it, you can use deep dish baking pan. Spread the mixture into “güveç“.

Making Tail Fat and Pouring Over The Kebab:

Tail Fat: It is fat accumulated in baggy deposits in the hint parts of a sheep, on both sides of tail, according to wikipedia. In Turkish cuisine, we use it to flavor especially kebabs, koftas, dolmas and and different recipes.

1. First cut the tailfat in cubes and slowly begin to cook. It will release its fat, will be runny.
2. After a while collect the fat. It sets like a butter in the fridge. And it will be ready to use.
3. Pour the tail fat over your kebab. Alternately you can use butter for it too.

Baking The Kebab:

1. Cover your kebab with some baking paper. First wet your baking paper and wrinkle it. So it can stay on top of the dish.
2. Do the same thing for second “güveç” pan. You can add couple of pieces of butter over the kebabs to give extra flavor.
3. Cook the Turkish Kebab Belen Tava in pre-heated 170C degree oven for 30 minutes. Check the kebab after 25-30 minutes later. And take out the papers, continue to bake.

And our Turkish Kebab Belen Tava is ready. I completed my menu “Yayla Çorbası“,
“Şehriyeli Nohutlu Pilav” and for dessert “Revani Lokanta Usulü“. You can complete your menu with different soups, pilafs, desserts, and salads. Bon Apetit!