Iskender – Turkish doner preparation

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g lamb
• 1 large onion(s)
• 6 tbsp oregano
• 1 tomato(s)
• 1 pointed pepper
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ liter yogurt, at least 3.5 fat and 3 tbsp extra
• 1 bulb(s) of garlic (at least 6 cloves)
• 500 g butter
• 1 tbsp Pepper, dried or paprika powder
• salt and pepper
• 1 flatbread(s) (pide)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Doner Kebab Iskender

For the yogurt sauce, mix the yogurt (preferably “Ömür yogurt” from a Turkish market) with 3 crushed garlic cloves and season with oregano and salt. To prepare the doner kebab, cut the lamb into wafer-thin slices. Finely chop the bell pepper, onion, tomato, and 3 garlic cloves. Place the lamb in a bowl with the lamb. Add 3 tablespoons of yogurt, plenty of pepper, 5 tablespoons of oregano, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon of salt, and mix well. Let it rest for at least 2 hours, or better yet, overnight! Bake the pide (flatbread) in the oven until crispy. Cut into very small cubes and divide between 4 plates. Heat 200 g of butter in a large frying pan and fry the doner kebab mixture until golden brown and crispy. Remove the fat and drizzle it over the finely chopped pide. Heat 300 g of butter in a separate pan and stir in 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of dried hot chili peppers. Divide the doner meat among the plates and top with the yogurt sauce. Finally, pour the very hot spiced butter over it. This is called iskender in Turkey. It’s very time-consuming, but so delicious!