İskender Kebap
İskender kebap takes its name from İskender Efendi, a butcher from Bursa who, storytellers say, invented it in the 1860s to serve thinly sliced lamb from an upright rotating spit, in a new way that would set it apart from ordinary kebabs of the region. The dish has remained associated with the city of Bursa to this day, where his family's restaurant still serves it following the same recipe, passed down through generations. The detail that makes the difference between an ordinary İskender and a memorable one is the butter poured at the table, almost at smoking point — not gently melted, but aggressively heated, so it sizzles loudly on contact with the meat and tomato sauce below. This final step, made visible in front of the customer, isn't just theater: the butter's extreme heat continues to lightly cook the top layer of meat and releases aromas that merely melted butter wouldn't activate. The cubed bread, placed at the base of the plate, isn't just support — it soaks up the sauce and effectively becomes a second main ingredient, just as important as the meat.
The base bread is cut into cubes and placed directly under the meat, not alongside it
The bread soaks up the tomato sauce and meat juices from above, itself becoming a second layer of flavor
The butter is heated separately, almost to smoking point, then poured sizzling over the meat
The very hot butter, poured right at the table, creates the dish's characteristic sound and steam, unlike gently melted butter
The tomato sauce is cooked separately, thin, not thick like a pasta sauce
The thin consistency lets the sauce soak through the bread, instead of staying only on the surface
The yogurt is served on the side, in a separate portion, not mixed directly onto the plate
Each bite can combine different amounts of cool yogurt with the hot, spiced meat, to taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 600g lamb or beef leg, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 Turkish flatbread (pide) or baguette, cut into cubes
- 400g canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 150g butter
- 400g thick yogurt, for serving
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced, for serving
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to make it
- 1MARINATE THE MEAT: mix the meat slices with the onion, yogurt, paprika, salt and pepper, marinate at least 1 hour.
- 2PREPARE THE SAUCE: simmer the diced tomatoes with the tomato paste over low heat 15 minutes, until slightly thickened, but still thin.
- 3COOK THE MEAT: fry the marinated meat slices in a very hot pan, in small batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until well browned.
- 4PREPARE THE BREAD BED: place the bread cubes on a platter, pour some of the tomato sauce over them, so they soften slightly.
- 5ASSEMBLE: place the browned meat on top of the bread, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the meat.
- 6MELT THE BUTTER: heat the butter in a small saucepan, almost to smoking point, pour it hot and sizzling over the meat, right before serving.
- 7SERVE: add a portion of thick yogurt on the side and slices of bell pepper, serve immediately.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
