recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Tas kebabı

Ottoman kitchens, now all over Turkey, Turkey

Tas kebabı

A classic Turkish home and restaurant stew: small pieces of lamb or beef cooked slowly with onions, tomato and pepper paste until meltingly soft. Despite its name it is not grilled; “tas” is the bowl it was cooked in.

Close to the base recipe Mild

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Tas kebabı. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Tas kebabı

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 750 g Lamb or beef, in small cubes.

From the base recipe

  • 2 Onions
  • Green chillies not used
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil
  • Red chilli powder not used
  • Turmeric not used
  • 1 tsp · 500 ml Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Tas kebabı

  • 1 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Red pepper paste (biber salçası)
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes)
  • 1 tsp Dried thyme
  • 300 g Potatoes or carrots (optional)

Leave out

  • Turmeric
  • Whole spices and garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Tas kebabı: do thisChop the onions finely; one green pepper instead of the chillies.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Tas kebabı: do thisFry in oil and butter until soft.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Tas kebabı: do thisUse the meat (and potatoes or carrots, if you like).

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Tas kebabı: do thisAdd the meat and fry until it has given off its water and browns.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Tas kebabı: do thisInstead of chilli powder and turmeric, add tomato paste, pepper paste, pul biber, black pepper and thyme, and fry for 2 minutes.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Tas kebabı: do thisAdd hot water to cover.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Tas kebabı: do thisCover and simmer for 1–1½ hours until the meat is very tender and the sauce thick; add any potatoes for the last 30 minutes.

Serve: With rice pilaf or bulgur pilaf.

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

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