Patlican Kebabi Recipe | How to Make Patlican Kebabi at Home

Name: Patlican Kebabi
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 500g Ground Meat (Beef or Beef-Lamb mix); 1 Medium Onion (Grated & juice squeezed out); 2 Cloves Garlic (Minced); 3-4 Medium Eggplants (Peeled in stripes, sliced 2-3cm thick); 2-3 Green Peppers & 2 Tomatoes (Wedges); Sauce: 1 tbsp Tomato Paste + 1 cup Warm Water; Seasoning: 1 tsp each of Salt, Black Pepper, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes; 1 tbsp Olive Oil

When eggplant season peaks in southeastern Turkey, patlıcan kebabı comes into its own: fat rounds of eggplant alternating with patties of seasoned mince, packed so tightly that they touch. This version uses beef or a beef-lamb mix and stands the rows upright in a single baking tray. The alternation is the entire logic of the dish. As it cooks, the meat's fat renders directly into the eggplant pressed against it, while the eggplant's moisture steams the meat from both sides — each ingredient seasons the other and neither dries out. A glaze of tomato paste loosened with warm water ties the rows together and caramelises at the edges. Traditionally it is grilled over coals then finished in sauce; a home oven does both jobs in one tray. Seek out slim, tender eggplants if you can, and cut everything to the same thickness so the layers cook in step.

Also known as: Balcan Kebabi, Turkish Eggplant Kebab

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Source: TURKISH FAST FOOD Published May 20, 2019

Reference video, embedded from YouTube: filmed by TURKISH FAST FOOD, not by How To Make A Kebab, and not owned, relicensed or distributed by this site.

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Everything you need for Patlican Kebabi, laid out from above: Ground meat, Onion, Garlic, Eggplants, Green peppers, Tomatoes, Tomato paste, Warm water, Salt, Black pepper, Cumin, Red pepper flakes, Olive oil (AI illustration) — Everything you need, seen from above · AI illustration, names added by us

Ingredients

Origin: Southeastern TurkeyStyle: Baked upright, broiled at the end for charPrep time: 1h 20mBest with: Rice pilaf, lavash, and cacık

500g Ground Meat (Beef or Beef-Lamb mix)
1 Medium Onion (Grated & juice squeezed out)
2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
3-4 Medium Eggplants (Peeled in stripes, sliced 2-3cm thick)
2-3 Green Peppers & 2 Tomatoes (Wedges)
Sauce: 1 tbsp Tomato Paste + 1 cup Warm Water
Seasoning: 1 tsp each of Salt, Black Pepper, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes
1 tbsp Olive Oil

How To Make Patlican Kebabi

1

In a large bowl, combine the ground meat with the grated onion (juice squeezed out), the garlic, the olive oil, and the salt, black pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Knead with your hands until the mixture is evenly blended and feels slightly tacky.
2

With lightly wet hands, shape the mixture into walnut-sized patties or short elongated pieces about as thick as the eggplant slices, pressing each one firmly so it holds together.
3

Stand the eggplant slices and meat patties upright in a baking dish, alternating one slice with one patty, and pack the rows snugly so each patty presses against the eggplant on both sides.
4

Tuck the green pepper and tomato wedges into the gaps between the rows so they roast alongside the kebab.
5

Stir the tomato paste into the warm water until smooth, then pour it slowly over and between the rows. It should glaze the kebabs and collect in the bottom of the dish, not cover them.
6

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for 45-50 minutes, until the eggplant is soft right through when pierced with a knife.
7

Once the eggplant is soft, switch the oven to its broiler (top grill) and cook for a final 5 minutes, until the tops of the meat and eggplant are charred in spots.

Note: Serve hot with rice pilaf, lavash, and cool yogurt/cacik. One bite and you're in southern Turkey.

Go Deeper · the full story

About this recipe+

This oven version of patlıcan kebabı skips the skewer that the grilled version is threaded on; it bakes the meat and eggplant standing upright in a dish, which turns the technical question from how to keep it on a stick into how to keep both components the same thickness so they finish together. It also runs cooler and longer than a grilled kebab, using a broiler only at the very end for char instead of relying on live fire throughout.

The two ingredients are cut to match on purpose: eggplant sliced to 2-3cm rounds, meat shaped into walnut-sized patties, both close enough in mass to cook through in the same 45-50 minute bake at 180C (350F). The tomato-and-water sauce goes on gently, not poured heavily, so it glazes the vegetables instead of stewing them, and the char that makes the dish look grilled actually comes at the very end: five minutes under the broiler once the low bake has already finished the cooking.

Why this recipe works+

Why This Recipe Works

Slicing the eggplant to a consistent 2-3cm thickness lets it finish in the same 45-50 minute window as the meat patties instead of turning to mush or staying underdone
Standing the eggplant and meat upright in alternating rows maximizes the contact between them, so rendered fat and eggplant moisture pass back and forth as they bake
Broiling for only the final five minutes, after the main bake, adds char without overcooking an interior that is already done

How to serve it+

Serving Notes

Serve it hot with rice pilaf and lavash

Add cool yogurt or cacık alongside; the temperature and acidity contrast the hot, broiled kebab

Keep the tomato-and-pepper garnish wedges visible when plating; they bake alongside the dish rather than getting added after

Common mistakes to avoid+

Common Mistakes

Slicing the eggplant thicker or thinner than 2-3cm throws off the timing against the meat patties, which are sized to match that thickness.
Pouring the tomato-water sauce heavily instead of gently drowns the kebabs.
Skipping the final broil leaves the dish soft all over instead of giving it the char the finishing step calls for.
Grating the onion but skipping the step of squeezing out its juice loosens the meat mixture so the patties won't hold their shape standing upright.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I grill this instead of baking it?+

Yes. Thread the meat and eggplant rounds alternately on sturdy metal skewers and cook them over glowing embers rather than high flame, turning the skewers so both sides cook through. The embers give the char, so skip the broiler.

Why squeeze the juice out of the grated onion?+

Excess moisture loosens the meat mixture, and the patties need to be firm enough to stand upright against the eggplant slices in the baking dish.

Can I use just beef instead of a beef-lamb mix?+

Yes; either beef alone or a beef-lamb mix works, and the seasoning amounts don't need to change.

How do I know it's ready for the broiler?+

When the eggplant is soft right through, usually after 45-50 minutes at 180°C (350°F); trust that texture over the clock, then move to the finishing broil.