🥙 Scroll 009: Iskender Kebab — The Sultan’s Plate

Ingredients

• 500 g (1 lb) lamb or beef (thinly sliced, marinated, grilled or doner-style)
• ½ loaf Turkish pide or pita, cubed and lightly toasted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Tomato sauce: 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 cup tomato purée, 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste
• Yogurt: 1 cup thick plain yogurt, whisked smooth with a pinch of salt
• Butter drizzle: 3 tbsp butter, melted with ½ tsp paprika or Aleppo pepper
• Optional garnish: parsley, grilled green peppers, roasted tomato halves

Method

1. Prepare bread base: Toast bread cubes in oven with olive oil until lightly crisped.
2. Cook meat: Grill marinated lamb/beef strips until charred and juicy.
3. Tomato sauce: Melt butter, add paste, stir until darkened; add purée + sugar; simmer 8–10 min.
4. Assemble: Lay toasted bread on serving platter. Ladle tomato sauce over, scatter grilled meat, spoon yogurt alongside.
5. Final flourish: Drizzle hot paprika butter over the meat, letting it sizzle as it lands. Garnish with parsley and roasted vegetables.

Craft cues: Bread too soggy? Add sauce just before serving. Meat dry? Slice thinner, marinate longer. Want more theater? Heat butter until foaming and pour at the table.