Doner Kebab Recipe

The Donner Kebab Recipe, the holy grail of fast food ? We have all been guilty of ordering one of a favourite takeaways (doner kebab) and even going to the extreme of having it delivered as well. I know its been said many a time on TV but you could have already made it and half way through it by the time the delivery actually gets to your door. All you need is a little bit of preparation and fore thought. I have done a chicken kebab just simply with lemon and thyme. Tasty, tender, succulent, simple and it only takes minutes to prepare. The Homemade Donner kebab.

As I love my kebab shop salad dressing super simple I decided to put together the ultimate collection of doner kebab recipes along with the plethora of other kebab recipes. The kebab, grilled meats can be the healthiest way to eat any meat. Need a little spice then add some Chilli Jam. The beauty of a homemade donner kebab is that you can flavour it to your own taste.

The Origin Of Kebabs

Kebabs originated in the Middle East and the word kebab literally relates to grilled meats, usually on a skewer but there are many recipes that are not. The most common is a diner kebab recipe and the shish kebab recipe. It is claimed that cooking meat on a stick dates back to prehistoric times. Of course it makes sense because they didn’t have teflon coated non stick pans back in the day, just open fire.

British Kebab Awards

Yes that’s  correct they do actually have a British kebab awards. I was surprised when I came across it researching this post. The British Kebab awards is now in its 6th year and some of the winners were.

Mazlum Demir, who famously produces black pide bread with squid ink and octopus in kebab form, won Chef of the Year for the second year in a row for his work at the mangal at Skewd Kitchen in Barnet, North London.

Full awards list of the British Kebab Awards 

Homemade Doner Kebab

The one thing that cooking on an open fire does give you is that extra taste through the crispy burnt edges and smoke flavour. Most of these recipes will be for indoor cooking either on a griddle pan or in the oven at high temperature  to imitate the open fire effect. So basically kebab means grilling so the choice of meat (or even fish) is unlimited so lets look at what delights we can conjure up.

There is a must, well for me anyway an absolute accompaniment that goes with every grilled meat and that is a mint yoghurt side that just lifts the flavour of the meat to new delicious heights. Its simple and super quick to make and all you need is one small dish to start. Place 2 teaspoons of dried mint into the bowl and squeeze the juice of half a lemon on the mint. Top the bowl up with natural yoghurt, just a plain shops brand which should cost around 60p for a 500ml tub then add 1 tbsp of sugar and then leave 30 mins in the fridge. Don’t forget the spice, Chilli Jam 

Chicken Donner Kebab Recipes

You have 2 choices of the chicken cut when it comes to the homemade donner kebab, the breast meat or the thigh. The thigh meat will keep more of the moisture when cooking and should remain nice and tender. The breast meat requires to be cooked with a little more care otherwise it can easily dry out if overcooked.

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs

This recipe only takes 35 minutes to prepare and cook the only time consuming part is the marinading which can be done overnight.

Full recipe details here 

Persian Kebab Kabab Koobideh (Ground Meat Kebab)

There are a few variations on the Kabab Koobideh where more spices such as cumin or coriander is added but this recipe is more true to the Persian kebab tradition. The unusual approach to the Kabab Koobideh is the puréed onions. These can be done with a grater as they did traditionally in Persia or we can cheat and place them in a blender. The other unusual ingredient is sumac,

Sumac is grown on a bush, native to the Middle East, it produces deep red berries. Once dried they are then ground and used to enhance flavour in all kinds of dishes.What does Sumac taste like ? Well Sumac taste a little lemony and zest, it is a balanced lemon flavour and not sharp at all. Sumac is now available in most good supermarkets. However if you cannot find any substitute the sumac with lemon rind.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 ground lamb or beef. For beef, around 20% fat content.
• 2 large onions
• 1 large beaten egg
•  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
•  teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon sumac

Method

The first step is to deal purée  the onions. (food processor or grater)e .

Then put the onion puree onto a strainer or very fine colander and let the juice and water drain out. You should let it drain at least a half hour.

Shake it around a bit during this time. It should be fairly dry and not dripping before moving to the next step.

Next you just mix all the ingredients together and let sit in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours, 4-6 is even better.The cooking of the Kabab Koobideh, you can shape them like burgers and cook them in the pan. The traditional method is to shape them around a flat skewer and cook them over an open fire. A BBQ or a griddle pan will also be an excellent way to cook the Kabab Koobideh.

Simple Lemon & Thyme Chicken Donner Kebab

A variation on the version that I do and its so simple. If you want to make it even quicker to preparer get pre diced chicken thighs, grab a bowl through in the chicken then the herbs and lemon juice allow to marinate. If you haven’t got the time to make your own pitta breads just grab shop bought ones or serve with packet microwave rice.The perfect chicken donner kebab.

Full Recipe at Olives and Garlic

Turkish Kebabs

Betyi Kebab

Honey Chicken Kebabs

Another simple fuss free recipes and very easy to make with a the addition of a few veg to the skewer, basted with honey and then mustard to balance the flavours.

Full recipe details 

If you like it really hot then a super quick marinade is siratcha, yes you heard it right and it was the classic circumstances. Out with a few friends for drinks most of the night and then back to the house for a few nightcaps. I had some chicken in the fridge and short on motivation so the simple and smile factor was chilli flavour, I did have a bowl of homemade smoked paprika coleslaw in the fridge to help cool things down a little. The pitta bread was from out of the freezer and toasted so it must have took all of 15 minutes to get onto the plate. I managed nearly 2 full skewers but my old school friend devoured his plate and the rest of the leftovers. Certainly a bigger man than me.

Doner Kebab Recipe : Lamb

Lamb one of the most succulent meats but if you get the wrong cut it can turn out to be fatty, chewy and a very horrible experience. The key to success for a perfect lamb kebab is in the preparation. It does take longer to prepare than chicken but the results can be stunning. So do take the time to trim off excess fat from any cut of lamb you have. I find the best cut is the neck of lamb as it has a nice marbling of fat throughout the meat. The other option is to mince various cuts yourself at home so the fat content is blended well.

Greek Lamb Souvlaki

Made with leg or shoulder of lamb do ensure that you take the time to trim of all the excess fat. Souvlaki is simply the Greek term for a kebab. A simple recipe but does benefit from extended marinating time. Hopefully all the ingredients should be store cupboard staples.

Full recipe details

Homemade Doner Kebab Recipe

Minced Lamb Kebab With Pomegranate

Ingredients

• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water overnight
• 400g lamb mince
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• Mint leaves to serve
• Pomegranate seeds to serve
• Spice Mix:
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground oregano
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Pinch ground black pepper
• Pomegranate Yoghurt
• ½ cup (125g) plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tbsp Thick Mint Sauce
• Salad of your choice to serve

Method

1. Combine lamb with garlic, pomegranate molasses and spice mix. Mix well. With damp hands shape lamb around skewers and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set before cooking.
2. Combine yoghurt, pomegranate molasses, mint, sumac andFountain Thick Mint Sauce.
3. Pre-heat a barbeque hot plate to medium. Add the skewers and cook for 4 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 4 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Serve with yoghurt sauce, pomegranate seeds, mint and salad. Drizzle a bit more pomegranate molasses over lamb skewers

Doner Kebab Recipe Pork

Grilled Pork Kebabs

These skewers are perfect for entertaining because they can be made up so quickly and with so little effort, could definitely be made for a game day, and are easy enough to whip together during a weeknight.  Definitely a new favorite in my household!

Read the full recipe on Happy Food Dance

Pork and Chorizo Kebab

You could try this recipe from the Two Chubby Cubbs which is  slimming world friendly at 2.5syns

Full Recipe 

do You have a homemade donner kebab recipe you would like to share with us and our readers. Send it to us so we can publish and bring delight to all.

What To Serve The Ultimate Kebab In

Traditionally the kabab (grilled meats) were served in bread. We all know that in the Kebab  Shops in the United Kingdom more often than not it comes in a pitta bread. Homemade pitta bread is quite simple you make the basic bread dough but then you use a rolling pin. Grab a small piece of dough flatten it then roll it out until completely  flat. Then warm up a frying pan and place the dough on it. Once it start to cook the dough will get hot and produce steam. As the steam expands it puffs up the dough. Turn over and cook the other side.

Another great bread recipe to serve your kebabs with is Naan bread. Just follow my simple naan bread recipe for some great results.  Leave out the garlic and coriander, unless of course you want to add more flavour to your kebab.