🍽️Meat Dish

Homemade Turkish-Style Doner Kebab

Name: Homemade Turkish-Style Doner Kebab
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Meat Dish
Ingredients: 500 g boneless veal, trimmed and cut into palm-sized strips; 5 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; Salt, to taste; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 onion, grated; 2 tomatoes, grated; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2–3 garlic cloves, crushed; Aluminum foil or parchment paper; Bread slices or flatbread, for serving; 3–4 ripe tomatoes, sliced; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 3–4 green peppers, roasted or pan-seared

"Bring the vibrant flavors of an Istanbul street market to your table with this deceptively simple, melt-in-your-mouth homemade Doner Kebab."

Prep:30 min

Cook:45 min

LevelMedium

Analyzing...

● Ingredients

500 g boneless veal, trimmed and cut into palm-sized strips
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, grated
2 tomatoes, grated
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
Aluminum foil or parchment paper
Bread slices or flatbread, for serving
3–4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
3–4 green peppers, roasted or pan-seared

🌱 High-Protein🌱 Dairy-Free🌱 Nut-Free🌱 Traditional Turkish⚡ Medium

❤️Health78%

😋Taste94%

🥳Joy90%

👨‍🍳Difficulty45/100

📜 The Story

Tracing its roots to 19th-century Ottoman Bursa, the Doner kebab revolutionized meat preparation through the innovation of vertical roasting. This homemade adaptation utilizes the 'freeze-and-slice' technique to replicate the iconic, paper-thin textures traditionally achieved on a vertical spit.

🧬 Flavor DNA

🍋Sour

4/10

🧂Salty

6/10

🌶️Spicy

2/10

🍯Sweet

2/10

🍄umami

9/10

☕Bitter

1/10

✨ Sensory Profile

"The air fills with the savory, herbal aroma of toasted thyme and seared veal as the meat hits the hot pan. Each bite delivers a delicate balance of tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef ribbons contrasted against the crisp, cooling crunch of fresh sumac-seasoned onions and juicy tomatoes."

Chef's Mastery

💡

The Secret

The secret to authentic texture is slicing the meat while it is approximately 70% frozen; this allows for industrial-thin ribbons that crisp up instantly in the pan.

⚠️

Avoid This

Adding the meat to a cold pan or crowding the pan, which leads to boiling the meat in its own juices rather than achieving a caramelized sear.

❄️

Storage

The marinated and wrapped raw meat log can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months, allowing you to slice off only what you need for a quick meal.

Instructions

Trim any excess connective tissue from the veal, then cut into thin, palm-sized strips for even marinating.

In a mixing bowl, combine the grated onion, grated tomatoes, vegetable oil, dried thyme, crushed garlic, salt, and black pepper to create a well-balanced marinade.

Add the veal strips to the marinade and mix thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor and tenderness.

Remove the veal from the marinade, letting excess liquid drip off. Arrange the strips tightly together on aluminum foil or parchment paper, stacking neatly to form a compact log. Wrap firmly.

Place the wrapped meat in the freezer until fully firm. While still partially frozen, unwrap and slice the meat very thinly with a sharp knife.

Heat a wide pan over medium-high heat with a small amount of oil. Add the sliced veal and sauté quickly, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned.

Season with garlic powder and adjust salt and black pepper to taste. Toss briefly to combine.

Serve the hot veal inside bread slices or flatbread, topped with sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, and roasted green peppers.