Avcı Kebabı Recipe
Avcı kebabı (Hunter’s Kebab) was originally made with chunks of meat, but for some reason the meatball version has become far more popular online. Honestly, just looking at the name, it’s hard to imagine the original version being made with meatballs anyway. A hunter would have to catch the prey, clean it, mince the meat, and then knead meatballs? That’s hardly realistic. At most, they’d dice the meat and bake it with vegetables. Which is exactly what they did. Then at some point, someone probably said, “Okay, this dish is delicious, but what if we made it with meatballs instead?” And they didn’t just say it, they actually tried it. Thankfully, because it turned out absolutely delicious.
Although it looks very similar to the classic baked meatballs with potatoes, the flavor is quite different. As you know, there are countless dishes that look almost identical. But you’d never believe how dramatically a few ingredient changes can alter the flavor. In fact, even dishes like karniyarik and eggplant mussakka, which I always use as examples, have nearly identical ingredients and differ mostly in the way they’re cut, yet they taste completely different. The same kind of difference exists between baked meatballs with potatoes and avcı kebabı with meatballs.
Some people prepare avcı kebabı by deep-frying all the vegetables first. It’s probably incredibly tasty that way. But personally, I also need a certain peace of mind while eating in order to fully enjoy a meal. If I know I could make a lower-calorie version without sacrificing too much quality, I can’t really feel comfortable eating the heavier version. So no matter how delicious it is, I still don’t enjoy it as much as I should. That’s why I prefer reducing the calories with only a minimal loss of flavor.
Now you might say, “If that’s the case, why are we frying the meatballs?” And honestly, you’d be absolutely right to ask. But once you hear the reason, I think you’ll agree with me. Meatballs release water while baking. If we bake them together with the vegetables from the start, that moisture would end up boiling the vegetables instead of roasting them. What we want is for the vegetables to caramelize and brown properly, because that deepens the flavor of the dish. At the same time, the sauce is prepared in the same oil used to brown the meatballs, so all those caramelized flavors are transferred into the sauce as well. That also enhances the overall taste. So even though the entire dish isn’t fried, it still reaches that rich level of flavor.
Enjoy...
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes,
- 2 carrots,
- 1 red pepper,
- 1 green pepper,
- 10 shallots,
- 2 cloves garlic,
- 1 cup fresh peas,
- 4 tbsp olive oil.
For the meatballs:
- 500 g medium-fat ground beef,
- 1 onion,
- 1 egg,
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko,
- A pinch of chopped parsley,
- Black pepper,
- Cumin,
- Salt,
- 6–7 tbsp olive oil for frying.
For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp tomato paste,
- 1 tsp paprika,
- 3 cups water.
- Salt to taste.
Preparation
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes,
- Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds,
- Dice the peppers,
- Peel the onions and garlic,
- Place all the vegetables in a bowl, add the olive oil, and toss to coat,
- Spread the vegetables onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C until softened and browned,
- Meanwhile, for the meatballs, grate the onion and add it to the ground beef,
- Add the breadcrumbs, egg, black pepper, cumin, parsley, and salt, then knead well,
- Shape into round meatballs,
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pan,
- Add the meatballs, fry until browned, then transfer them to a strainer or paper towel-lined plate,
- Add the tomato paste to the remaining oil in the pan and sauté until fragrant,
- Add the paprika and sauté briefly,
- Pour in the water, add salt, stir well, and remove from the heat,
- Remove the baking tray from the oven, add the meatballs, then pour the sauce over everything,
- Return to the oven and bake for another 10–15 minutes.
Enjoy...