A springtime rarity of Şanlıurfa in which earthy desert truffles (keme) are skewered alternately with lamb cubes and grilled. Available only in the short season after the rains, it is one of the few kebabs built around a fungus.
Also known as: keme kebabı, toprak mantarı kebabı, desert truffle kebab, keme kebab
Ingredients
- 400 g fresh desert truffles (keme/terfez), scrubbed and peeled
- 400 g lamb shoulder, in 2.5 cm cubes
- 100 g lamb tail fat, in cubes
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 2 thin flatbreads
- 1 onion, sliced, mixed with 20 g parsley and 1 tsp sumac
How to make it
- 1
Simmer the peeled truffles in well-salted water for 10 min until a knife meets slight resistance; drain and halve.
- 2
Build the skewers in a repeating rhythm of lamb, truffle, tail fat.
- 3
Grill over medium-hot charcoal 8-10 min, turning when each face takes colour; the truffles should blister and the fat run.
- 4
Season with salt and pepper off the heat.
- 5
Serve rolled in flatbread with the sumac-onion salad.
Pro tip: Par-boiling the truffles first is the whole trick; raw ones stay gritty-firm long after the lamb has overcooked.
