Turkey · Istanbul

Beyti kebabı

Make Beyti kebabı: grilled lamb-beef kebabs rolled in buttered lavash, sliced and served with tomato sauce and garlic yogurt.

Traditional Turkish recipe Main course / wrapped kebab
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Sliced Beyti kebabı rolls with tomato sauce, garlic yogurt and grilled vegetables
Sliced Beyti kebabı rolls with tomato sauce, garlic yogurt and grilled vegetables
Prep 40 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 1 hour 40 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients ↓
Overview

About Beyti kebabı

Beyti kebabı is an Istanbul restaurant classic: seasoned minced meat is grilled, wrapped tightly in lavaş, sliced into neat rounds and served with tomato sauce and yogurt. The identity lies as much in the architecture as the flavour. Each slice should show a juicy kebab centre, a thin bread spiral and lightly crisp edges.

A lamb-beef mixture gives flavour without excessive softness. Work it until cohesive, chill before shaping and cook to 71°C. Warm the lavaş before rolling so it bends without cracking, but use tomato sauce around the finished slices rather than soaking the bread before it reaches the table.

A dependable Beyti kebabı begins before the heat is switched on. Measure 500 g minced lamb, 400 g minced beef, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves, 10 g fine sea salt, and 5 g pul biber and keep the remaining ingredients grouped in the order in which they enter the recipe. Have Grill, grill pan or broiler, Six metal skewers, and Serrated knife ready as well. The planned sequence is Mix and shape, Cook sauces and kebabs, and Roll, crisp and plate. This mise en place protects the stated 6-serving yield and prevents a temperature-sensitive or fast-moving stage from being interrupted while an ingredient is still being weighed.

Use the clock as a planning guide, not as the only test of progress: allow 40 minutes of preparation, 30 minutes of cooking, and 1 hour 40 minutes overall. During Cook sauces and kebabs, Melt butter, fry tomato paste for 1 minute, add tomatoes, water, salt and pul biber; simmer 15 minutes. The useful observation is specific: The sauce should coat a spoon but still pour. At the finish, Cut each roll into 4–5 rounds. Arrange with tomato sauce and garlic yogurt, keeping the cut faces visible. Do not serve merely because the nominal time has elapsed; wait until serve immediately before the bread softens.

Practical

Practical

  • Onion moistureSqueezing grated onion prevents loose kebabs and soggy rolls.
  • Sauce placementSpoon sauce beneath or around the slices, adding only a little on top.
  • ServingGrilled tomato, pepper and buttery rice are fitting companions.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Kebabs

  • 500 g minced lamb
  • 400 g minced beef 15–20% fat
  • 1 small onion finely grated and squeezed dry
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 10 g fine sea salt
  • 5 g pul biber
  • 3 g ground cumin
  • 2 g black pepper

Tomato sauce

  • 30 g butter
  • 25 g tomato paste
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 100 ml water
  • 3 g fine sea salt
  • 2 g pul biber

Wrap and yogurt

  • 6 large thin lavaş flatbreads
  • 40 g butter melted
  • 400 g thick plain yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 2 g fine sea salt
Directions

Directions

Mix and shape

  1. Work the mixtureCombine meats, dry onion, garlic, salt and spices; knead 3 minutes until tacky.

    The mixture should cling to a skewer or hold a firm log.

  2. Chill and portionCover and refrigerate 30 minutes, then form six long logs around skewers or on a lined tray.

    Logs should be even enough to cook at the same rate.

Cook sauces and kebabs

  1. Simmer tomato sauceMelt butter, fry tomato paste for 1 minute, add tomatoes, water, salt and pul biber; simmer 15 minutes.

    The sauce should coat a spoon but still pour.

  2. Mix garlic yogurtWhisk yogurt, garlic and salt until smooth; keep cool.

    It should be creamy with no raw garlic lumps.

  3. Grill the meatCook kebab logs over high heat, turning until browned and 71°C at the centre, 10–12 minutes.

    The outside should char lightly while the centre stays juicy.

Roll, crisp and plate

  1. Warm and butter lavaşBrush each bread lightly with butter and warm just until flexible.

    It should fold without splitting.

  2. Roll tightlyPlace one cooked kebab near the edge, roll snugly and set seam-side down. Repeat.

    There should be no empty air between meat and bread.

  3. Crisp the rollsBrush with butter and bake at 210°C for 5–7 minutes.

    The surface should be lightly crisp, not brittle.

  4. Slice and serveCut each roll into 4–5 rounds. Arrange with tomato sauce and garlic yogurt, keeping the cut faces visible.

    Serve immediately before the bread softens.
Practical

Practical

Organise the measured components

Keep 500 g minced lamb, 400 g minced beef, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves, 10 g fine sea salt, and 5 g pul biber visible and separate until their stated stage. Combine meats, dry onion, garlic, salt and spices; knead 3 minutes until tacky. This opening action establishes the moisture, seasoning and texture that later cooking can preserve but cannot fully repair. Before moving on, confirm that the mixture should cling to a skewer or hold a firm log. If the sign is absent, correct the immediate mixture, heat or handling rather than compensating with an unrelated ingredient.

Read the food at every stage

The key checkpoints across Mix and shape, Cook sauces and kebabs, and Roll, crisp and plate are The mixture should cling to a skewer or hold a firm log., The sauce should coat a spoon but still pour., and It should fold without splitting.. These observations are more reliable than colour alone because pan material, starting temperature, ingredient size and heat output vary between kitchens. Work in the stated order, keep the batch dimensions similar and pause when a cue has not appeared. The final confirmations are Logs should be even enough to cook at the same rate., The outside should char lightly while the centre stays juicy., and Serve immediately before the bread softens.; together they describe texture, moisture and safe doneness more accurately than a single minute count.

Plan service and leftovers before cooking

Cut each roll into 4–5 rounds. Arrange with tomato sauce and garlic yogurt, keeping the cut faces visible. Serve when the final texture is at its best, then move leftovers promptly to the storage condition specified for this dish. Cook the components ahead, but roll and crisp shortly before serving. Use separate utensils for raw mixture and cooked kebabs. This closes the recipe as deliberately as it began: service, cooling and reheating are part of quality control, not an afterthought once the pan has left the heat.

Control points

Control points

  • The kebab crumbles The mixture was not worked or chilled enough, or the onion was wet.
  • The lavaş splits Warm it briefly under a damp towel before rolling.
  • The rounds unravel Roll more tightly, rest seam-side down and use a sharp serrated knife.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories710 kcal
  • Protein43 g
  • Carbohydrates54 g
  • Fat36 g
  • Saturated fat13 g
  • Fiber5 g
  • Sugars9 g
  • Sodium1020 mg

1 of 6 servings — Approximate values; actual nutrition varies with ingredients and serving size.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Contains wheat/gluten and milk.

Food safety: Keep minced meat chilled and cook to 71°C. Use separate utensils for raw mixture and cooked kebabs.

Storage: Cook the components ahead, but roll and crisp shortly before serving.

FAQ

FAQ

Is Beyti kebabı named after a person?

The modern restaurant dish is associated with Istanbul restaurateur Beyti Güler.

Can I use only beef?

Yes, but choose 15–20% fat and expect a less lamb-forward flavour.

Can it be assembled ahead?

Cook the components ahead, but roll and crisp shortly before serving.

What matters most

What matters most

Juicy grilled kebab in a crisp-edged lavaş spiral with bright tomato sauce and cool garlic yogurt.

Cohesive meat, flexible bread and last-minute rolling.

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