Turkish Style Kebabs with Sumac Onion Salad and Yogurt Garlic Sauce
This Turkish kebab recipe is spicy, sizzling, and delicious. Despite the complex layers of flavor, it’s also super easy and versatile. I’ve found that this dish and its fresh sides can shine just as well in a fine entertaining menu as over a campfire at the deer camp.
Cooking for a crowd? You can double or triple this recipe with one click in the recipe below. I recently made them for 35 people — check out the video below.
What’s the Difference Between Kofta and Kebab Meat?
Named after the city of Adana in southern Turkey, Adana kebab blends of two traditional ways of preparing and grilling meat. Because I always have a freezer full of venison, my take on this Turkish recipe has a wild game twist.
From Turkey to Greece, kebabs or kabobs are a beloved Middle Eastern and Mediterranean way to grill meat. This recipe, called Adana Kebab, brings together kebabs with a spicy ground meat called kofta, kofte, or kafte.
- Kebabs or kabobs typically involve chunks of marinated meat grilled on skewers. The famous shish kebab, for example, features cubes of lamb, chicken, or beef threaded onto metal skewers and cooked over an open flame.
- Kofta refers to seasoned ground meat, usually lamb or beef, mixed with onions, herbs, and warm spices like cumin, cinnamon, and allspice. You might think of it as a Middle Eastern cousin to meatloaf or meatballs, but with a lot more attitude.
- An Adana Kebab is what happens when you take the spiced ground meat mixture of kofta and mold it onto skewers, grilling the skewered meat until it’s juicy on the inside and lightly browned on the outside. The result is smoky, succulent, and totally irresistible.
Fun facts: The word kebab comes from the Persian and Arabic kabāb, meaning “roasted meat.” Kofta comes from the Hindi-Urdu and Persian word kufta meaning “to pound or grind.” The origins have a Mediterranean twist, too: the practice of grilling meat on skewers traces back to ancient Greece and continues today with Greek souvlaki street kebabs.
A Kebab Recipe for Venison (or Lamb) Lovers
Traditionally, ground lamb would be the choice of protein to go with the ground beef. However, since I have a lot of venison, which is very much like lamb, I use venison in mine. If you’re a hunter or have a friend who brings you cuts of wild game, you need to try this dish with ground venison.
Venison’s naturally lean and slightly earthy flavor pairs beautifully with the warm spice blend of traditional kofta. With the beef fat to add moisture, you’ll have a juicy kebab that rivals any grilled kebabs on the streets of Istanbul.
More Venison Recipes
How to Make and Serve Adana Kebabs
This three-in-one kebab recipe includes the kofta kebabs, a sumac onion side salad, and a tzatziki-like yogurt garlic sauce. For all three, fresh is the key: the ingredients feature fresh garlic bulbs, fresh herbs, and freshly squeezed lemon juice as well as freshly ground pepper.
If you garden, this recipe is an excellent opportunity to use up some of that bounty!
Cooking equipment for recipe:
You’ll need minimal equipment to make adana kebabs. Here are a few recommendations.
- A food processor is key for kofta style ground meat, and a high-quality one has countless uses in the kitchen. You can’t beat a Cuisinart Food Processor.
- This pre-seasoned Lodge Cast Iron Square Grill Pan is perfect for grilling kebabs.
- I prefer Natural Bamboo Skewers for kebabs, appetizers, and many other uses.
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Ingredients you’ll need for the kebabs:
- bell pepper (green or red peppers)
- garlic cloves
- mixture of beef and ground venison or lamb (2 lbs. of meat)
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (for extra heat, you can add red pepper flakes/chili flakes)
- hot smoked paprika
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- fresh mint for serving
For the sumac onion salad:
- thin slices of Vidalia or sweet onion (or red onion if you prefer)
- sumac, a tangy red spice featured in Middle Eastern cuisine
- fresh cilantro or parsley
- cherry tomatoes
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- olive oil
- molasses for a bit of sweetness
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the yogurt garlic sauce:
- fresh garlic bulb
- plain yogurt (regular or Greek yogurt)
- buttermilk
- lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
Preparation
You can grill the meat on an outdoor grill or on a grill plate on the stove. See the recipe below for step-by-step instructions for the Adana Kebabs, Sumac Onion Salad, and Yogurt Garlic Sauce.
More Sides to Serve with Adana Kebabs
Other sides that complement the spicy ground meat include rice, pita bread with hummus, and tahini sauce. Add more garden vegetables with a cool cucumber and tomato salad.
Turkish Style Kafta – Adana Kebab with Sumac Onion Salad and Yogurt Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
Adana Kebab Ingredients
- 1 large bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 pound ground venison or lamb
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon hot smoked paprika
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- Bunch of mint for serving
- Serve wrapped in small flour tortillas or lavash
Sumac Onion Salad Ingredients
- 1 Vidalia or sweet onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Yogurt Garlic Sauce Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic roasted
- 1 ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
To Make the Adana Kebab
- In a food processor, pulse pepper and garlic until fully blended. Pour the mixture into a sieve and drain well. Place back into the processor and add the venison, beef, salt, peppers, and black pepper. Blend until the mixture no longer resembles ground meat and instead forms into what looks like a loose paste. Cover the meat in a large bowl and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the meat from the refrigerator and divide the mixture into 8 portions. With a 7-inch kebab skewer, wrap each portion into 1 ½ inch thick kebabs. Make sure the meat is firmly attached to the skewer.
- Place on a grill or a cast iron grill plate and cook over medium high heat. Allow the kebab to cook without moving on the first side for about 5 minutes. Flip to cook on the other side for about 3 minutes more, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Remove the kebabs to a cooling rack over a baking sheet.
To Make the Sumac Onion Salad
- In a medium bowl, add the onions, cilantro, and tomatoes. In another bowl, mix together the lemon juice, oil, molasses, sumac, salt, and pepper. Pour the liquid mixture over the onion mixture and mix well with a pair of tongs or a wooden spoon.
To Make the Yogurt Garlic Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic, wrap the bulb in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and unwrap.
- In a medium bowl, add yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Squeeze the garlic from the bulb into the yogurt mixture. Mix well.
Notes
Click for all my Venison Recipes, grouped by cut of meat.
