Turkish Iskender Kebab with Butter
Iskender kebab is a dish from the Turkish city of Bursa: cubed bread at the bottom, slices of doner meat on top, then hot tomato sauce, and finally browned butter poured on while it foams, with yoghurt on the side. That order is the recipe itself.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Calories
- 680
Photo: Scott Dexter — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Iskender kebab is more than a kebab — it is a carefully planned stack of layers. The bread soaks up the sauce and butter, the meat stays on top, and the cold yoghurt beside it cuts the richness. You can make it at home without a rotating spit.
Method
-
1
Marinating the meat
Cut the meat into very thin slices (freezing it for 40 minutes first makes this easier), and season it with the squeezed onion, olive oil, cumin, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and overnight for the best result.
-
2
Tomato sauce
Heat two spoons of oil and fry the tomato paste for a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, salt and a pinch of sugar. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until thick, glossy and not runny. Keep it hot until serving.
-
3
Cooking the meat
Heat a heavy pan or griddle over very high heat until it smokes. Add the meat in small batches — crowding drops the temperature, so the meat stews instead of browning. Only 2–3 minutes per batch until golden.
-
4
Toasting the bread
Cut the bread into 3 cm cubes and toast it in the oven at 180°C for 6–8 minutes, or in a dry pan. Toasted bread soaks up the sauce without collapsing — soft bread turns into paste.
-
5
Browning the butter
Melt the butter over medium heat until it turns light brown and smells nutty (beurre noisette). This is the key flavour step — browned butter tastes far deeper than plain melted butter.
-
6
Assembling and serving
On each plate: bread at the bottom, meat on top, then hot tomato sauce over half, and finally pour over the butter while it foams, at the table. Add a scoop of cold yoghurt on the side with tomatoes and grilled chillies.
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Tips that actually matter
- Freeze the meat for 40 minutes before slicing so you can cut it thin.
- Cook in batches — a crowded pan stews the meat instead of browning it.
- Brown the butter until it is the colour of hazelnuts — that is half the flavour of the dish.
- The yoghurt goes cold and on the side, not on top — cold beside hot is the whole idea of the dish.
People also ask
Can I make it with chicken?
Yes — use thinly sliced chicken breast with the same marinade and cut the cooking time to two minutes a side. The taste differs from the original but the dish works, and you still need to brown the butter.
Which bread is best?
Thick Turkish pide or pitta, or opened baladi bread. It must cut into cubes and toast well so it soaks up the sauce without collapsing. Soft white rolls are not suitable.
Why did the dish turn out too greasy?
Usually too much butter or fatty meat. 100 g of butter is enough for 4 plates, and drain the meat fat after cooking. The cold yoghurt is essential for balance — it isn’t optional.
Cook mode
Turkish Iskender Kebab with Butter
-
1
Marinating the meat
Cut the meat into very thin slices (freezing it for 40 minutes first makes this easier), and season it with the squeezed onion, olive oil, cumin, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and overnight for the best result.
-
2
Tomato sauce
Heat two spoons of oil and fry the tomato paste for a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, salt and a pinch of sugar. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until thick, glossy and not runny. Keep it hot until serving.
-
3
Cooking the meat
Heat a heavy pan or griddle over very high heat until it smokes. Add the meat in small batches — crowding drops the temperature, so the meat stews instead of browning. Only 2–3 minutes per batch until golden.
-
4
Toasting the bread
Cut the bread into 3 cm cubes and toast it in the oven at 180°C for 6–8 minutes, or in a dry pan. Toasted bread soaks up the sauce without collapsing — soft bread turns into paste.
-
5
Browning the butter
Melt the butter over medium heat until it turns light brown and smells nutty (beurre noisette). This is the key flavour step — browned butter tastes far deeper than plain melted butter.
-
6
Assembling and serving
On each plate: bread at the bottom, meat on top, then hot tomato sauce over half, and finally pour over the butter while it foams, at the table. Add a scoop of cold yoghurt on the side with tomatoes and grilled chillies.
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