Adana kebab Recipe

Start by finely chopping the Romano peppers in a food processor. Transfer the chopped peppers to a sieve and press them firmly to release all their juices; you want the mixture to be as dry as possible.

Add the pressed peppers to a bowl with the lamb mince, red pepper paste, pul biber, 1½ tsp flaky sea salt, and 2 tbsp of the sunflower oil. Mix everything thoroughly, kneading well for at least 2-3 minutes. If the mixture starts sticking to your hands, wet them with cold water. The finished mixture should feel sticky. Cover the bowl and chill it for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours, to allow the flavors to develop and the mixture to firm up.

When you're ready to cook, preheat your grill to high heat, or set your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 6.

Divide the chilled lamb mixture into 12 equal portions, each weighing around 85g. If you're using skewers, divide it into 8 equal portions instead and roll each into a ball. With wet hands, thread a ball onto the end of a skewer, then massage the mixture down the skewer with your palms until it's evenly distributed and tightly wrapped, with no metal showing. If you're baking, simply lay the portions on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper (for oven) or foil (for grill). Shape each portion into a 20cm-long köfte. For the traditional look, wet your fingers with a little cold water and press indents all along the köfte.