Chicken and Lamb Kebab
Everyone who visits Turkey says that the kebab there is nothing like the ones we eat in Spain, so at this point I'm not entirely sure what to call this. In any case, what I can promise you is that it's delicious and the preparation couldn't be simpler. We discovered this recipe thanks to the YouTube channel Recetas de Cocina, which is always worth a visit. Give these kebabs a try and let us know how it goes.
What do we need?
- 400 g (14 oz) lamb leg chops
- 400 g (14 oz) chicken thighs
- 4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons Ras el Hanout (a North African spice blend)
- Salt and pepper
- Lettuce (chopped or julienned)
- Sliced tomato
- Sliced or finely julienned onion
- Pita breads
For the yogurt sauce:
- 2 Greek yogurts
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 pinch of cumin
- Salt, pepper and fresh parsley
How do we make it?
- Cut the lamb chops and chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a bowl, combine 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout and mix well. Add the chopped chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle in two teaspoons of garlic powder.
- Mix well so all the meat is fully coated and let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge (the longer it sits, the more flavor it will pick up).
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the chopped lamb.
- While the meat rests, let's prepare the yogurt sauce. Mix the yogurt with the mayonnaise. Then add the crushed garlic, the sugar, the cumin, salt, pepper, and finally the lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Mix everything thoroughly (no blender needed) and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- Once the meat has had enough time to marinate, you have two options: cook it in the oven, or in a frying pan or on a griddle.
a) For the first option, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the pieces of meat out separately. Bake at 200°C (390°F) until they look golden. When you take the meat off the tray, drain off any excess oil.
b) If you prefer, you can sauté them in a pan or cook them on a griddle. There's no need to add oil since the marinade is enough. This option is faster since there's no oven preheating and the cooking time is shorter. - All that's left is to assemble the kebabs. In a pita bread, layer meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce to taste.
Tips:
– You can adjust the yogurt sauce to taste, but it's better to go light than to overdo any one ingredient, especially garlic and salt, which are hard to fix once you've added too much. I recommend adding little by little and tasting as you go.
– It's better to cook the meats separately so people can choose whether they want their kebab with just one type of meat or mixed. Lamb tends to have a much stronger flavor than chicken, which not everyone enjoys.
– The meat quantities are just a guide. Adjust them depending on how many kebabs you want to make.