“Gentle Al” Kebabs with Fire-Charred Eggplant and Yogurt

Name: “Gentle Al” Kebabs with Fire-Charred Eggplant and Yogurt
Yield: Makes 4 Kebabs; Serves 4
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste; 2 Asian eggplants or other long slender eggplants (about 10 ounces each); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; Pita bread; 1 cup whole-milk yogurt; 1 to 1¼ cups whole-milk yogurt; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste; 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1½ teaspoons dried dill (optional); ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; 1 pound ground lamb; 3 tablespoons minced onion; 1 clove garlic, minced

Turkey

Preparation info

Makes 4 Kebabs; Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Barbecue Bible

By Steven Raichlen

Published 1998

About

This is one of the most popular kebabs in Turkey—a glory of smoke and fire featuring two of the best ingredients ever to hit a barbecue grill: lamb and eggplant. Legend credits its invention to a kebab maker named Ali Nasik (“Gentle Al”) from the city of Bursa. Gentle Al’s brainstorm was to serve grilled, spiced ground lamb kebabs over a tangy puree made from fire-charred eggplant and yogurt. Today, you find these kebabs all over Turkey. For the sake of convenience, the eggplant puree can b

Ingredients

Asia
Turkey
Dinner
Spicy
Mediterranean

Ingredients

Method