We can say iskender kebab is a very curious and popular example of a Turkish-style dish. So, what is iskender kebab? It is one of Turkey’s best-known dishes. It gets its name from its creator, Skender Efendi, who resided in Bursa during the Ottoman Empire’s late 19th century.

The Iskenderoglu family, who currently own and operate the restaurant in Bursa, owns the trademark “Kebapçı İskender”. The majority of the time, this dish is referred to as “iskender kebab” “Bursa kebab,” or an alternate name created by the serving restaurant, such as “Uludağ kebab,” at the many restaurants across the nation.

What Is Iskender Kebab?

Turkish food known as “iskender kebab” is made of sliced döner kebab meat, hot tomato sauce, toasted pita bread (occasionally croutons), and lots of melting special sheep’s milk butter and yogurt.  For the entertainment of the consumer, tomato sauce and melted butter are typically poured over the meal as it is being eaten.

Ingredients

Preparing Turkish iskender kebab at home requires some effort. However, it is not impossible to prepare. Let us explain the materials for you by dividing them into two.

To the doner:

  • 1 kg of beef
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tablespoons of yogurt
  • 5 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Sweet red pepper, 1 teaspoon
  • Tsp of thyme
  • Black pepper, 1 teaspoon

To make the sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 200 ml of boiling water,
  • 200 ml of crushed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of butter

How To Make Iskender Kebab? Instructions

How to make iskender kebab? Turn the oven on to 180 C/350 F. The day before you plan to cook, prepare the meat for marinating. The onions should be grated or processed until the liquid in a food processor. Discard any residual onion pulp after pressing all the juice from the onions into a non-metallic basin. The meat should be thinly sliced (your butcher can do this for you as well), and each piece should then be pounded with the back of a wooden spoon. The slices should be roughly 5 cm (2″) by 4 cm (1.5″) in size.

In a large bowl, mix together the onion juice, oregano, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add the pork pieces and stir to evenly distribute the marinade. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight to marinate. Cover with cling film.

Pour the olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat to begin making the tomato sauce. Add the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and red pepper paste, if using. Mix thoroughly after adding salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the water to a boil after adding it. After that, boil gently for 10 minutes.

Place the pide or pita bread on a tray after cutting into 3 x 3 cm squares. For five minutes, preheat the oven. Cook the beef slices in a skillet with a little olive oil over high heat for about two minutes on each side. On the opposite side of the skillet, sauté the pepper and tomato slices until the edges begin to sear.

Plate your iskender doner kebab once everything has finished cooking. Put a slice of warm pita or pide bread on each plate. The tomato sauce should then be poured on top of the meat slices that have been cooked. Put a dollop of plain yogurt on one side and the sautéed tomatoes and peppers on the other. Serve right away. This dish makes enough for 4 to 6 people.

How To Serve Iskender Kebab?

After mentioning how to make iskender kebab, let’s continue by talking about how it is served. The pita bread are put on the hot plates first, followed by the sauce, which is then topped with the meat. One side of the platter is filled with yogurt. In the interim, you can spread the yoghurt over pita bread, top it with sauces, and add meat if you choose. Reapply the sauce to the meat, and then drizzle the hot butter over it. You can add tomatoes, peppers, and french fries as garnish if you like.

100 grams of meat doner contain 128 kcal in terms of iskender kebab calories. On the other hand, it is feasible to state that a serving of (medium) 235 grams has 301 iskender kebab calories. Doner meat is healthy and aids in weight loss when it is properly prepared—well cooked but not charred, low-fat, and served in portions of no more than 150 grams. Pita bread should always be chosen as a portion of a sandwich or plate when eating doner. Moreover, plenty of tomatoes, peppers, or onions should be served with it. 25.65% protein, 24.05% fat, and 48.09% carbs make up a meat döner. 23.17 grams of carbs, 9.1 grams of protein, 7.29 grams of fat, and 2.15 grams of fiber are found in 100 grams of iskender kebab with butter.

What Does Iskender Mean?

If we say what is iskender kebab, we need to mention where it came from and its meaning. Turkish iskender kebab is highly popular, especially in Istanbul and Bursa, where the kebab originates. The term “Iskender” means Alexander in Turkish, and it is named after the purported originator, a 19th-century chef from Bursa who created the Döner Kebab, or spinning kebab.

Where To Eat Iskender Kebab?

Numerous iskender kebab restaurants in Bursa offer a delicious iskender kebab recipe, and some of them have ties to Iskender Efendi himself. Simply search for signs promoting ” iskender doner kebab” or “Bursa kebab” when you are out and about in Bursa because both terms are frequently used interchangeably. We can honestly say that after trying iskender at a few downtown eateries, we have yet to be let down. Kebapci Iskender is the name of a few of the more well-known businesses, which are located in Bursa’s Heykel district. Excellent Bursa kebab is served at the sidewalk cafes along Kayhan Caddesi, the street where “iskender” originated. If you are not in Turkey, our best iskender kebab restaurant recommendation for Toronto, Canada is, of course, Mama Fatma.

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