Ezmeli kebabs

Ezme (Turkish-style tomato salsa) is one of the most popular dishes in Turkish cuisine, and can be served as a mezze or salad. The most important trick in making this recipe is to chop all the ingredients finely with a sharp knife. Ezmeli kebab is one of the traditional tastes of Gaziantep – a city located south east of Anatolia.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg leg of lamb, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 200 g lamb fat (bunting), for the skewers, cut into 4 cm flat pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt

Ezme

• 6 medium ripe tomatoes, deseeded, quartered
• 4 red Turkish sweet peppers or smaller bullhorn chillies, deseeded, cut into large pieces (see Note)
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 medium red onions, coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp Isot pepper (burnt Turkish Urfa peppers) or medium-hot chilli flakes (see Note)
• 1 tbsp capsicum paste (see Note)
• 50 ml (2½ tbsp) pomegranate molasses (found at Middle Eastern, Greek and Turkish markets)
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp sea salt, or to taste

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Marinating time Overnight

Instructions

Place the lamb, fat, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate overnight. Remove from fridge at least 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat a charcoal barbecue or chargrill on medium-high heat. To make the ezme, soak 2 skewers in water, then thread the tomatoes onto skewers. Place over barbecue or chargrill until cooked through and softened, set aside to cool.

On a chopping board, combine the cooked tomato, Turkish peppers or bullhorn chillies, parsley, red onion and garlic. Finely chop to form a salsa, then drain excess liquid and place in a mixing bowl. Add the Isot pepper, capsicum paste, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. Toss well to combine.  

Cook the lamb skewers over a charcoal barbecue or chargrill for 8-10 minutes or until cooked to you liking. When cooked, remove any bunting fat between the lamb cubes and serve with the ezme.

Note

• Red Turkish peppers (when in season), Isot pepper and capsicum paste are available from Turkish food stores.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Michelle Noerianto.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.