Iskender Kebab

Another famous Turkish delicacy in the menu today. İskender kebab is one of the most famous meat foods of northwestern Turkey and takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century. It is prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yogurt. Tomato sauce and boiling butter are sometimes poured over the dish, at the table. İskender meaning 'Alexander' some stories tells that it was  a favorite food of Alexander the great. I am making this recipe with chicken which is a more softer meat then lamb. A new kind of kebab with totally different marinate.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast:               2 pieces ( cut in thin long strips)
Onion:                             1 medium
Garlic:                             2 cloves
Yogurt:                            4table spoon
Tomato puree:                 2table spoon
Pita bread:                       2 large ( substitute- Indian naan bread)
Olive oil
Black pepper
Paprika powder
Salt to taste
Butter

Method:
1) Process the onion in a food blender and take out the juice. Discard the pulp.
2) Marinate the chicken strips with onion juice, 2 spoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours.
3) Cook the chicken with all  its marinate until all the juices run dry and chicken is cooked well.
4) Add crushed garlic and salt to the yogurt and keep aside.
5) Mix tomato puree with 2 spoon olive oil, pepper and paprika. Heat it in a small sauce pan. season it with salt.
6) Warm the pita bread from both side. Cut it in a bite size pieces.  Spread the yogurt sauce on pita bread. Stack the hot kebab over it. Drizzle it with tomato sauce and hot melted butter.
7) Serve hot and enjoy it as "Alexander the Great".


BON APPETIT...