My Doner Kabab
I am a huge fan of the doner kabab. On a research trip to England as a graduate student, I would buy one several times a week for supper. The gyros in the US are simply not the same.  This effort was my attempt to get closer then the gyros. Obviously I could replicate the spit, but I could approach the flavor.
I started with a boneless leg of lamb. One end is usually intact while the other naturally separates into pieces.  I cut the intact end into cubes 1.5 inch, and then realized they would cook better if I halved the cubes, making them flatter.  The other end I turned into ground meat using a Kitchenaid grinder attachment.
Next came the seasoning. I could find no consistent pattern online for doner kabab spices. After sorta through a dozen or so, I settled on the following:
- Ground Cumin tsp
- Ground All spice tsp
- Turmeric tsp
- Cardamon tsp
- Ginger tsp
- Cinnamon tsp
- Dry Orange peel tsp
- Ground black pepper tsp
- Nutmeg .25 tsp
- Ground Clove .25 tsp
- Herbs de Provence tsp
I laid an even layer of the lamb cubes in a deep rectangular dish and coated them with about half the spices.   After rubbing in the spices, I poured a drizzle of olive oil and then sprinkled with salt. It marinated for about three hours.
Next, I turned to the ground lamb, adding the spices as well as an egg and Italian bread crumbs. I shaped the meat into a sausage shape using plastic wrap and placing a metal skewer in the center. Once the meat was a 1 inch tube, I flattened it into an oval patty. Below is 1/2 the meat. I froze the other half to enjoy another day.
I grilled the meat on a BBQ pit will above the flame on a raised grill pan, coating both sides lightly with sunflower seed oil. The rendered fat cause the flames to jump, and the meat cooked quickly in about 3 minutes for each side.   If you don’t have access to a BBQ grill, you can always use the broiler in your oven or pan-fry.
The smell was divine as it cooked. The flavor was really close to a real Mediterranean lamb kabab. I served it in pita with cabbage and topped with a home made Tzatziki Sauce.
Don’t forget the wine. We had a Chianti.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.