Lyulya Kebab
Lyulya holds onto the skewer without egg or breadcrumbs — there are none here. What holds it together is long kneading and fat: the mince has to be worked until it turns sticky, then chilled properly. That is the whole trick; the rest is simply not rushing the fire.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Servings
- 5
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 470 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Pork back fat replaces lamb tail fat (different flavour, same texture), or add 200 g of fatty beef brisket instead.
Makes: 5 kebabs
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Mince the meat
Cut the lamb and the fat into chunks and pass them twice through a coarse mincer plate. A fine mince gives a dense, sausage-like texture, which is not what you want here.
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Step 2: Squeeze the onion
Chop the onions as finely as you can and squeeze them dry in muslin. The juice does not go into the mince — it is the usual reason kebabs slide off the skewer.
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Step 3: Knead until sticky
Mix the mince with the onion, chopped parsley and spices. Knead for 8–10 minutes, lifting the mass and throwing it back into the bowl — it should turn tacky and stretch.
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Step 4: Chill it
Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Cold fat holds the shape; warm fat runs straight into the coals.
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Step 5: Shape on skewers
With wet hands, take a handful and mould it around a wide flat skewer into a 15–18 cm sausage, pressing firmly, especially at both ends.
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Step 6: Grill
Coals should be ashy grey with no flames. Lay the skewers down and leave them untouched for 4 minutes until a crust forms, then turn every 2 minutes. 12–15 minutes in total.
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Step 7: Serve at once
Slide the kebabs onto flatbread and scatter with onion and sumac. Lyulya is a hot dish — cold lamb loses half its flavour.
Tips & variations
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Tip
If the mince starts sliding, it is either warm or under-kneaded. Chill it for 20 minutes and knead again.
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Swap
Pork back fat replaces lamb tail fat (different flavour, same texture), or add 200 g of fatty beef brisket instead.
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Variation
Beef works well too, but keep it at 30% fat — lean beef simply crumbles.
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Storage
Raw mince keeps a day in the fridge, cooked kebabs 2 days. Reheat in a dry covered pan.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 5 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 470 kcal | 2,350 kcal |
| Protein | 32 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 34 g | 170 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g | 25 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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