Turkey · Hatay

Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat)

Coarsely minced beef and lamb with pepper, garlic and parsley are pressed thinly in a tray and baked hot with visible vegetables.

A thin aromatic meat layer baked with tomatoes and peppers Kebab
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Large shallow tray of tepsi kebabı ready for wedge service
Resting lets scored wedges lift while preserving roasting juices for bread.
Prep 35 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Rest 10 minutes
Serves 8
Overview

How to Make Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı

Hatay Tepsi Kebabı, also called lahm-ı sini, turns one broad layer of seasoned meat into a communal meal. The registered dish uses medium-fat beef or a beef-lamb combination with peppers, garlic and parsley, then bakes it in a shallow tray with tomato, pepper and onion. This home version follows those defining ratios and motions but is labelled Hatay-style because protected production belongs to its geographical and professional context.

Keep the meat cold and chop the vegetables very finely without turning them to watery purée. Their fresh aroma should enter the meat while larger tomato, pepper and onion pieces remain visible around the disk. Knead only until the coarse mince holds together. Too little mixing creates crumbly wedges; processing into a smooth sausage paste erases the texture that a zırh-style coarse chop is intended to preserve.

Brush the tray with diluted tomato paste and press the mixture to an even one-centimetre layer from centre to edge. Thick mounds cook slowly and squeeze out more liquid. Score portions before arranging the larger vegetables, then add a light tomato-paste sauce around the perimeter rather than washing it across the surface. At 220°C, the thin layer browns quickly while vegetables soften and release aroma into the juices.

Ground meat must reach 71°C in several central places. Rest ten minutes before lifting the scored wedges so the juices settle, but do not drain away the flavour meant for warm pide or lavash. Bring the tray itself to the table with sumac onion or ayran beside it. A successful tepsi kebabı is browned and juicy, thin enough to share easily and still recognisable as one coherent meat disk.

Practical

Practical

  • Control prepare the meat mixtureFor Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), Keep meat cold and chop the peppers, garlic and parsley very finely without pureeing them or discarding all their aroma. The checkpoint is the mixture shows tiny flecks of fresh pepper and parsley with no wet vegetable puddle. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
  • Control press and arrange the trayFor Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), Brush a 40 cm shallow metal tray with tomato paste loosened by water and press the meat evenly about 1 cm thick. The checkpoint is the layer has equal thickness from centre to edge and no compact mound remains. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
  • Control bake and restFor Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), Bake at 220°C for 18-25 minutes until the surface browns, vegetables soften and representative centres reach 71°C. The checkpoint is the meat is browned, reaches 71°c and remains juicy without pink raw patches. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
Ingredients

Ingredients

For the recipe

  • 1.1 kg medium-fat beef, coarsely minced
  • 500 g lamb, coarsely minced
  • 180 g red peppers, very finely chopped
  • 100 g green peppers, very finely chopped
  • 18 g garlic, finely chopped
  • 80 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 18 g fine salt
  • 5 g black pepper
  • 35 g tomato paste for the tray base
  • 60 ml water for loosening the base paste
  • 650 g ripe tomatoes, thick wedges
  • 300 g long green and red peppers for roasting
  • 350 g onions, thick wedges
  • 30 g tomato paste for the light sauce
  • 400 ml water for the light sauce
  • 800 g warm pide or lavash for serving
Directions

Directions

Prepare the meat mixture

  1. Prepare the meat mixture 1.Keep meat cold and chop the peppers, garlic and parsley very finely without pureeing them or discarding all their aroma.

    The mixture shows tiny flecks of fresh pepper and parsley with no wet vegetable puddle.
  2. Prepare the meat mixture 2.Knead meat, chopped aromatics, salt and pepper only until homogeneous and tacky.

    A small pressed portion holds together without becoming a smooth emulsified paste.

Press and arrange the tray

  1. Press and arrange the tray 1.Brush a 40 cm shallow metal tray with tomato paste loosened by water and press the meat evenly about 1 cm thick.

    The layer has equal thickness from centre to edge and no compact mound remains.
  2. Press and arrange the tray 2.Score eight wedges, arrange tomato, pepper and onion around or over the disk, then pour the thin tomato-paste sauce around the edge.

    Large vegetables remain visible and the sauce does not wash seasoning from the meat.

Bake and rest

  1. Bake and rest 1.Bake at 220°C for 18-25 minutes until the surface browns, vegetables soften and representative centres reach 71°C.

    The meat is browned, reaches 71°C and remains juicy without pink raw patches.
  2. Bake and rest 2.Rest 10 minutes, drain only excessive fat and serve wedges from the tray with warm bread.

    Wedges lift cleanly after resting while roasting juices remain available for bread.
Practical

Practical

Measure before starting

For Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), weigh 1.1 kg medium-fat beef, coarsely minced, 500 g lamb, coarsely minced, 180 g red peppers, very finely chopped, and 100 g green peppers, very finely chopped before beginning, then arrange the remaining 12 measured components by stage. This prevents the prepare the meat mixture phase from being interrupted and keeps salt, liquid and declared allergens visible before the dish is assembled.

Plan service and storage together

Choose the serving time for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat) before the final stage and have the correct storage container ready. Refrigerate cooked kebab and vegetables for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 180°C until the meat reaches 74°C, then uncover briefly. Freeze cooked meat wedges without the roasted vegetables for up to 2 months. This preserves the texture described by the final readiness cue and moves the dish directly to service, controlled holding or prompt cooling.

Control points

Control points

  • The mixture shows tiny flecks of fresh pepper and parsley with no wet vegetable puddle does not happen. During prepare the meat mixture for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • The layer has equal thickness from centre to edge and no compact mound remains does not happen. During press and arrange the tray for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • The meat is browned, reaches 71°C and remains juicy without pink raw patches does not happen. During bake and rest for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat) changes texture while waiting. Bring service closer to the final bake and rest stage and use the storage method written for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat). Avoid trapping steam around a crisp component or exposing a moist component to dry heat; the target at service remains wedges lift cleanly after resting while roasting juices remain available for bread.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories670 kcal
  • Protein49 g
  • Carbohydrates53 g
  • Fat31 g
  • Saturated fat11 g
  • Fiber6 g
  • Sugars11 g
  • Sodium980 mg

1 of 8 servings — Approximate values use the full measured recipe and may change with brands, trimming, oil absorption, optional components and actual portion size.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Wheat/gluten (serving bread)

Food safety: Keep ground meat at 4°C or below and separate raw-meat tools from vegetables reserved for serving. Check several thick central areas and cook the ground-meat layer to 71°C. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 74°C.

Storage: Refrigerate cooked kebab and vegetables for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 180°C until the meat reaches 74°C, then uncover briefly. Freeze cooked meat wedges without the roasted vegetables for up to 2 months.

FAQ

FAQ

Can I prepare part of this recipe ahead?

Yes, but stop at a natural stage boundary rather than halfway through active cooking. Complete the preparation or resting phase, keep perishable components at 4°C or below and resume with equipment fully ready. For the finished dish, follow this limit: Refrigerate cooked kebab and vegetables for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 180°C until the meat reaches 74°C, then uncover briefly. Freeze cooked meat wedges without the roasted vegetables for up to 2 months.

How do I know it is ready without trusting the clock?

Use the physical signs in the Directions. Early in the process, look for the mixture shows tiny flecks of fresh pepper and parsley with no wet vegetable puddle; at the end, confirm wedges lift cleanly after resting while roasting juices remain available for bread. Time is only an estimate because pan material, ingredient temperature, size and heat output vary from one kitchen to another.

Can I double Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat)?

Yes, but preserve the original thickness and airflow through prepare the meat mixture, press and arrange the tray, and bake and rest. Use a second pan or repeat heat-sensitive batches; the same final cue still decides readiness: wedges lift cleanly after resting while roasting juices remain available for bread.

Which allergens must I declare for Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat)?

For Hatay-Style Tepsi Kebabı (Tray-Baked Minced Meat), declare wheat/gluten (serving bread). Verify every packaged ingredient and the working kitchen for cross-contact, and identify optional breads, garnishes and serving sauces separately.

Press evenly before trusting high heat

Press evenly before trusting high heat

Cold coarse mince, finely chopped aromatics, a uniform one-centimetre layer and a verified 71°C centre produce juicy, clean-cut wedges.

Begin with the mixture shows tiny flecks of fresh pepper and parsley with no wet vegetable puddle; finish only when wedges lift cleanly after resting while roasting juices remain available for bread. Those two observations are more dependable than appearance in a styled photograph or the clock alone.