We love: Kebabs

Senior content manager Matt Chappell takes a loving look at the always popular kebab. Get tips on making your own and putting something special on a skewer.

Our nation can’t seem to get enough of kebabs (or kabobs).

For many people, it’s their food of choice when it comes to lunch, dinner or late night hunger pangs. For the truly smitten, there’s even a breakfast kebab.

The concept is simple – small pieces of meat or vegetables are cooked on a skewer, wrapped up in bread with added sauce and sides. The result is bursting with flavour, perfectly shaped for human hands and able to be eaten standing up, sitting down or walking home from the pub.

This mixture of deliciousness and ease is why the kebab has been with us for thousands of years. The word itself probably comes from mediaeval Turkish soldiers who cooked their meat over the fire using swords.

If you love kebabs as much as we do then you might want to try making your own at home. You won’t need a sword, but here are a few of the things you should consider.

Choose your actors

Your first, and most important, decision when making a kebab is the type of kebab you want to make. Think of yourself as the casting director of a film. You need to choose exciting lead actors – the main meat or veg – as well as the supporting ingredients that will complement and bring out the best in your star performers.

The choice of meat is obviously down to you and the tastes of your guests. Lamb, chicken, prawns and beef are all traditional favourites. However, using vegetables or cheese as your heroes is also a very valid choice. If you don’t believe us try this asparagus and halloumi kebab recipe.

Extras and marinades

Your supporting ingredients might be the B-listers but they still matter and can be anything from onion to red pepper to banana and courgette.

Get your combo right and they can be real scene stealers. One of the things we love most about the kebab is its flexibility. Check out some of our kebab recipe ideas if you’re looking for more inspiration.

It’s also worth considering whether to marinade your main ingredients first. This doesn’t necessarily need to happen overnight but can be done in around 10 minutes if you’re really hungry. Marinades can add real depth to the flavour of your kebab such as with this chicken skewer recipe.

Craft your ingredients

You’re now ready to cook, which could be on a kitchen grill or BBQ for those extra special burnt bits, or a frying pan or oven for less mess. However, a little prep is required to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Think about the shape and size that will result in an even cook. You could cube your meat or mince it then roll it up in a cigar shape. Vegetables should also be cut down to size and there needs to be enough to fill everyone’s kebab with the full variety of flavours.

Here’s the biggest tip we can give you when it comes to kebabs: make sure everything on your stick has a similar cooking time. In that way you’ll avoid over-charred or underdone ingredients.

Select your skewer

Do you choose a wooden or metal skewer? Either way, it’s not going to affect the flavour but, as a rule, metal should be used for food that takes a longer time to cook. If you’re planning on blasting your kebab in 5 minutes or less, wooden skewers are perfectly fine and cool down quicker. Make sure you soak them in water first though.

Ready for bread

Forget what you know about wrapping up a kebab. The choice is completely your own. Pre-bought pitta bread, tortilla wraps, wholemeal rolls, burger buns or even a slice of bread are all okay.

You could even serve your kebab with a nice salad and forget the bread if that’s what you really want. If you do have guests it might be best to ask for their preferences beforehand.

Get saucy

Once again, we’re not going to dictate to you when it comes to having sauce with your kebab. However, we would recommend keeping things interesting. Maybe combine the zest of lemon juice with a sprig of mint for spicy kebabs. Hot chilli and cool yoghurt also offer a lovely contrast. 

Dollop of ketchup? If that’s what you really want then go for it.

Or let us do the cooking

Love kebabs but don’t fancy making your own? If so, you’re in luck as we’ve got a whole host of kebabs that are ready to sizzle as soon as you buy them.

Our Minted Lamb Kebabs are perfect for BBQs as are our Souvlaki Kebabs with Red Pepper, Tomato & Chilli Sauce or Moroccan Beef & Lamb Kebab from our Irresistible range. Veggies might want to check out our GRO Shawarma Kebabs.

We love kebabs. And we love making them. We hope our tips will inspire you to get grilling as well.