German Doner Kebab Recipes

DONER KEBAB

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor with a large pinch of salt and lots of ground pepper. Pulse until everything is combined and chopped together. You can also just squish everything together in a bowl but this will give you a looser finish.
• Oil a large sheet of foil, tip the meat mix in the middle and mould to a very thick sausage, roughly the shape of an aubergine. Roll up the foil tightly, twisting up the ends to create a Christmas cracker shape.
• Lay on a shallow roasting tin and roast in the oven for 35-40 mins, turning occasionally, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 75C when pierced in the middle. Leave the kebab to cool a little, then unwrap the foil. Place back on the tray and brown under the grill or with a blowtorch.
• Place on a board and carve into thin slices. For full doner mode, you can hold the kebab up with a roasting fork or metal skewer and carve. Serve with warm pitta bread and any of the other accompaniments, including our chilli sauce and garlic yogurt sauce.

AUTHENTIC TURKISH DONER KEBAB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine flour, oregano, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Add ground lamb and thoroughly knead with the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed together, about 3 minutes.
• Shape the seasoned ground lamb and place into a loaf pan; set on top of a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, turning the loaf halfway to ensure even browning, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Wrap loaf in aluminum foil and let rest, about 10 minutes. Slice as thinly as possible to make the doner kebab pieces.

HOMEMADE DONER KEBAB

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb, egg, garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.
• Place the mixture into an oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and cook in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
• You can slice the loaf immediately if you like but, for best results, cool completely, wrap in aluminum foil, and refrigerate until firm.
• To reheat, add a little olive oil to a large skillet, slice the loaf very thinly and crisp up the slices in the hot pan for a few minutes.
• Assemble the sandwiches with pita, warmed and toasted through. Spread on some tzatziki or tahini sauce, add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, and top with more sauce.
• Serve and enjoy.

GERMAN GYROS (OR DöNER KEBAB)

Steps:

• Slice the meat into very thin slices, about 4-5 cm/ 1.5-2 inches long, and place them in a large, non-reactive bowl.
• Marinate: Add all the spices. Grate the garlic cloves and slice the onion into thin half-rings. Add them to the meat together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Do not add any salt at this stage, salt the meat after cooking it. Mix well and place the bowl in the fridge. Leave the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably for several hours.
• Roughly grate the cucumber (large side of the box grater). Place in a colander, sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt and leave to drain for about 30 minutes. Place in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out of it as you can.Mix the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic cloves and finely chopped dill in a bowl. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook meat: Heat a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan and cook the meat on high heat until browned and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes, but check. Salt the meat to taste. Don't overcrowd the pan, if it is too small, it is preferable to fry the meat in two batches.
• Heat bread: In the meantime, place the flatbread in the hot oven and heat for about 2-3 minutes until heated through and lightly crisp on top. Take it out and quarter it. Cut each piece horizontally (don't cut through) to obtain a pocket.
• Cabbage: Finely slice the red cabbage and place it in a bowl. Add some salt and knead the cabbage for a minute or so to soften it. Add the olive oil, some pepper, and more salt, if necessary. Mix well.
• Slice the onions and tomatoes.Smear the inside of the bread with some tzatziki, add some onion and tomato slices, some shredded red cabbage, and the meat. Serve with more tzatziki and vegetables on the side.

BERLIN DONER KABABS (BERLINER DöNER AUS KREUZBERG)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 430 degrees (grill setting). Cut the veal into thin slices and season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Place the seasoned meat on the four skewers
• Peel the onions and grate finely. Stir half of the resulting onion paste with the olive oil and brush onto the skewered meat, coating all sides.
• Place the skewers on a grid on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Grill for about 20 minutes, turning several times.
• In the meantime, peel and press the garlic into the yogurt, using a garlic press. Stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.
• Slice the flatbreads in half, but not all the way through, to form pockets. Drizzle a little olive oil into the pockets. Wash and dice the tomatoes.
• Wash the red cabbage and cut into thin strips. Wash the cucumber and grate finely. Peel and halve the onion, and cut into very thin strips.
• Arrange the prepared ingredients on a serving platter.
• During the meat's last 5 to 8 minutes under the grill, warm the flatbread on the oven floor.
• Remove the skewers and the flatbread from the oven. Remove the meat from each skewer and place in a bread pocket. Add all of the remaining ingredients or just some, according to taste, and dribble the garlic sauce over the top. Doner-kebabs can also be served on plates, with rice and a salad.

HOMEMADE ROTISSERIE DONER KEBAB MEAT - BEEF OR LAMB!

Steps:

• Mix beef or lamb with all the Spices - mix well using your hands.
• Cover and refrigerate 2 hours minimum, or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 170°C/ 325°F (150°C fan).
• Line baking pan with foil.
• Check to ensure skewers are long enough to prop on the sides of the pan. (Note 5)
• Place onion, bacon and garlic in a 8 cup/2L+ food processor. Blitz until it becomes a paste (video at 29 sec),~30 sec on high, scraping down sides as you go.
• Add meat and blitz on low until it becomes a paste (video at 42 sec), scraping down sides (~1 min for powerful food processors, 2 min for less powerful). (Note 4)
• Turn meat out onto work surface. Wet hands with water, then shape into an even block 20cm/8" long.
• Place 2 x 60cm / 2 feet long pieces of foil overlapping each other by 1/3. (Note 6)
• Place meat on the end of the foil, then roll it up, tightly wrapping it in the foil.
• Twist the ends firmly to form a log 25cm/10" long, then snip off excess foil. Roll into even log.
• Thread skewers through the log.
• Place log elevated in pan by propping skewers on the edge of the pan. (Note 7)
• Cook for 1 1/2 hours, turning once after 1 hour, until the log reaches 70°C/160°F (up to 80°C/175°F is fine). The log is cooked at this point. (Note 9)
• Remove foil from log but leave skewers in place.
• Increase oven heat to 250°C/480°F, or as high as your oven can go if it can't reach this.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, rotating once, until browned all over.
• Remove skewers then stand the meat upright.
• Shave meat thinly - carve as much as you intend to use.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook shaved meat lightly coloured but still "floppy" (not crisped). Use immediately for Doner Kebabs!
• Smear hummus on warmed flatbread. Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
• Pile on Doner Kebab Meat. Drizzle with sauce(s) of choice.
• Roll up tightly, wrap in foil if desired (to hold together). Grab and devour!

DONER KEBAB

Steps:

• Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken halves and stir to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours.
• Whisk the Garlic Yogurt Sauce ingredient together in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve. The sauce can be made at the time you start marinating the chicken or aim for at least an hour before cooking the chicken.
• Using 2 skewers for each kebab, thread one side of the thigh onto each skewer and then the other side; slide the skewered chicken down to the end (see photos in post or video). Repeat with half the chicken, pushing the chicken against each other. Repeat to make a second kabob with the remaining chicken.
• Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Clean grates and generously grease with oil.
• Once hot, add kebabs, and grill for 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip kebabs over and grill the other side an addition 4-5 minutes.
• Next, flip chicken over, COVER and reduce heat so it maintains 400 degrees F with the lid closed. Continue to cook, approximately 5-10 additional minutes per side turning once, until chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, add flatbread to the grill to warm up.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a pan with foil that allows you to perch the metal skewers on the top rim of the pan so the chicken hangs in the middle without touching the bottom of the pan (see photos in post or video).
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, then flip kebabs over. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken and bake an addition 15- 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Optional: Without moving the pan, turn oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes per side for more yummy crispy bits. Baste again with pan juices. Let rest 5-10 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, wrap the desired amount of flatbread in foil and place in the oven. Heat for 8-10 minutes or until warm and pliable. Remove from the oven using oven mitts.
• Stand the skewers upright on a cutting board and thinly slice chicken off.
• Spread a generous amount of hummus over warmed flatbread. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, chicken, and garlic yogurt sauce. Drizzle with sriracha if you like some heat - careful, a little goes a long way.
• Serve chicken on a plate with desired accompaniments such as warmed flatbread, curried rice (see notes), shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and sides of garlic yogurt sauce, sriracha and hummus.

THE HIRSHON BERLIN-STYLE DöNER KEBAB SANDWICH

Steps:

• To make the red scharf sauce:
• Clean the peppers by cutting off stems and de-seed them. Cut into pieces and cook them in one cup of water until soft. Blend the mixture (straining optional) with an immersion blender or food processor and add vinegar, plus salt & sugar to taste.
• To make the pide bread:
• Combine yeast, sugar and 2 T of the water in a small bowl, and stir until yeast dissolves. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
• In a large bowl, sift flour and salt together. If you don't have a flour sifter, you can just whisk them together.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and salt, and add the rest of the water, the oil, the yogurt, and the yeast mixture that you set aside.
• Stir together with a wooden spoon until combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
• Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
• Lightly grease the inside of a large bowl with oil, then place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat it with oil.
• Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours (or until dough has doubled in size).
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Punch down the center of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes or until dough has returned to its original size. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, and shape each portion into 7 inch by 12 inch rectangle.
• Place on 2 non-stick baking trays (or 2 cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray) and press with fingers to indent surface. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rest for 20 minutes or until dough has risen half an inch or an inch.
• Shape the dough into rectangles (or as close as you can get), then cover with plastic wrap and let rise a bit longer.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. I baked it for 7 minutes, then swapped the cookie sheets on the racks, then cooked it for another 7 minutes. I then lowered the oven temperature down to 350° to prep for the meat, and put the bread back in for 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
• After baking, sprinkle with some water, then cover with a clean kitchen towel until cooled down (it will help the loaf stay soft).
• To make the Döner meat:
• Cut the meat into 2cm squares, and pass the meat through a meat grinder using the coarse plate. Combine with remaining ingredients using a rubber spatula, spread on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until cold but not frozen.
• Pass the cold mix through the mincer again, this time on the finest plate, then form into patties. Line any clean 1lb can with two layers of clingfilm, then layer in the patties, squeezing them down to remove air gaps.
• Fold over the top edges of the cling film to seal, place the tin in a bain marie of boiling water and cook in the oven at a gentle 150C, until the temperature at the centre is 75C. Then allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tin.
• Scorch the surface with a kitchen blowtorch before slicing vertically. A fork thrust into the top will stabilise the whole operation.
• For one sandwich, cut open ¼ of the pide bread to the outer edge, but not all the way through (warm for a couple of minutes on a panini grill if you have one), then open the 'pocket'.
• Start by adding some white sauce on the bottom half, then the meat, then cucumber/cabbage, lettuce, tomato, onion, mint, and feta cheese. Put a bit of the red spicy sauce over it and enjoy.