Sutton-in-AshfieldNG17 4BGKirkby-in-AshfieldMansfieldNottinghamshire

Lamb shish kebab

Kuzu şiş

Lamb shish is the dish most people picture when they think of a Turkish grill: cubes of marinated lamb on a long skewer, cooked over hot charcoal until the outside chars and the inside stays juicy.

Where it comes from

Şiş simply means skewer in Turkish, and şiş kebap means meat grilled on a skewer. Cooking meat on blades and sticks over an open fire goes back centuries among the herding peoples of Anatolia and Central Asia, and lamb, the meat of the shepherd, has always been at the centre of it.

Today kuzu şiş (lamb shish) is a fixture of the ocakbaşı, the Turkish grill house where the cook works over an open charcoal hearth in front of the diners.

How we make it at EFES

We marinate cubes of lamb, thread two skewers per portion and grill them over real charcoal on our ocakbaşı. There's no gas grill or frying pan involved, which is why the edges come out smoky and caramelised.

As a main it comes with your choice of rice, chips or couscous. There's also a lunch-size version and a lamb shish wrap.

How to eat it

• Squeeze over a little lemon if you have it.
• Wrap a piece of lamb in warm bread with salad and a spoon of cacik.
• Eat it hot: charcoal-grilled lamb is at its best straight off the skewer.

Goes well with

• Tzatziki (Cacik) £4.50
• Balloon bread £2.50
• Çoban salad £4.00
• Ayran £2.60

Allergies

Our kitchen handles all 14 major allergens. Before you order, please read our allergy information and call 01623 442222 if you have an allergy or intolerance.

Questions