The Grand Tour Story
The Grand Tour rolls out of Serbia and heads south towards the meeting point of Europe and Asia. The roads
become busier, the calls to prayer drift across the rooftops, and the smell of charcoal hangs permanently in the
evening air. Welcome to Türkiye, where grilling meat isn't just cooking—it's a way of life.
We arrive in Adana just before sunset.
Outside a tiny ocakbaşı restaurant, glowing charcoal stretches the length of the grill while long metal skewers of
lamb hiss over the flames. A grill master called Kemal smiles as he shapes another kebab by hand and says, "A good
Adana kebab should need no knife."
One bite later, we understood exactly what he meant.
You’ll Need
For the Adana Kebabs
600g lamb mince (20% fat works best)
1 small onion, very finely grated
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (or tomato purée)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli flakes (Aleppo pepper if available)
1 tsp sea salt, ½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
For the Box
2 Turkish flatbreads or pitas
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 grilled tomatoes, halved
2 long green peppers
Garlic Yoghurt
150g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of salt
Optional but dangerous
Sumac
Pickled chillies
Crumbled feta
Cold Turkish lager
Method
Preheat your air fryer to 200°C.
In a large bowl, combine the lamb mince, onion, garlic, pepper paste, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin,
coriander, chilli flakes, salt, black pepper and parsley.
Mix thoroughly until the mixture becomes firm and slightly sticky.
Divide into four equal portions and mould each into a long sausage shape around metal skewers or shape into long
skinless kebabs if using wooden skewers.
Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil and place the kebabs inside in a single layer.
Air fry for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway through, until deeply browned with lightly charred edges.
During the final 4 minutes, add the tomatoes and green peppers to the basket until lightly blistered.
Warm the flatbreads for the final minute.
Spread the garlic yoghurt over the flatbreads, top with the Adana kebabs, roasted tomatoes, peppers and sliced
onion.
Finish with a sprinkle of sumac if using and serve immediately.