Newsletter # 56 – Beyti Kebab

When talking about ‘kebabs’ we invariably think of that ‘go to’ takeaway item popular with late night revellers and families alike. Succulent meats sliced off the rotating grill (with all the extras) and wrapped in lavish bread is pretty tasty. Or perhaps it is marinated and skewered meats that you will find in butcher’s shops that find their way to your barbeque.

Satays from South-East Asia and Chuan from China both have Arabic origins, while the history of the Gyros and Souvlaki you will find in Greece is a contentious issue. Nevertheless, whatever the style, kebabs are enjoyed the world over.

Like these dishes the Betyi Kebab is an Arabic creation but with less pedigree than its far older cousins. Created in Istanbul in 1962 by the owner of his famous self-named restaurant, it qualified as a kebab because the meat is roasted and then wrapped in lavish bread. The original meat used was lamb fillet, but the modern version uses the more economical lamb mince.

My recipe replaces the lavish bread with filo pastry but retains the tomato sauce and yoghurt accompaniment.

Beyti Kebab

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Appetizer

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 500 g lamb mince
• 1 onion medium sized, peeled, finely chopped or grated
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread broken up – can be stale
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper crushed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin ground
• ½ tsp lemon zest grated
• olive oil
• 375 g filo pastry
• 100 g butter melted
• 400 g can cherry tomatoes
• 25 g tomato paste
• extra salt and pepper
• a little extra garlic optional
• 1 cup natural yoghurt
• fresh mint a few sprigs, rinsed
• baby peppers optional for garnish

Equipment

• A baking sheet, some baking paper, a mixing bowl and a small saucepan will suffice for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. In a mixing bowl combine the lamb, ¾ of the chopped onion, bread, garlic, salt, pepper, ½ tsp paprika, cumin and lemon zest
   
3. Mix well
   
4. Pre-heat your oven to 200c
5. Divide this meat mixture into 4 or 5 portions
   
6. You need to form each portion into sausage shapes about 20cm long and slightly flattened. These are called koftas
   
7. Line your baking tray with baking paper and place the koftas on it, evenly spaced
8. Bake for 10 -12 minutes – a little underdone is OK
   
9. When done, cool to room temperature
10. Assemble three sheets of filo pastry the following way
11. Take one sheet of filo (short side facing) and brush with melted butter
12. Top with a second sheet of filo and again brush with butter
    
13. Add a third sheet, but don’t butter it
14. Place a kofta across the pastry and tightly wrap the kofta by rolling the pastry around it
    
15. Brush the finished roll with butter to prevent it drying out
    
16. Repeat this process until you have wrapped all the koftas
17. Cut each roll diagonally into 6 pieces. Discard the empty pastry ends
    
18. Reduce your oven to 180c
19. Renew the baking paper on your baking sheet
    
20. Place the cut pieces, meat side down and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown

For the sauce:

1. On low heat sweat the rest of the chopped onion and garlic in a little olive oil for two minutes
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, ½ tsp paprika, salt and pepper and heat till simmering. Simmer for two minutes. Serve hot.

For the yoghurt:

1. Combine the yoghurt and a little chopped mint and black pepper
2. Serve the Beyti Kebab with the tomato sauce and minted yoghurt
   

Notes

Either the Napoli sauce or classic tomato sauce from newsletter # 20 would also be suitable for this recipe

You need to work fast with filo pastry as it dries out quickly

This is a great starter that you can prepare the day before