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Meat, Maghreb and Middle East

Çökertme kebab

Çökertme kebab is a Turkish dish combining sautéed beef strips, crispy potato matchsticks and a cool garlic yogurt, finished with butter melted with sweet paprika. For 4 people, it takes 45 minutes and medium difficulty, at a cost of €3.60 per serving. The key to getting it right is drying the potatoes thoroughly before frying and searing the beef for just a few seconds.

Tonight we're heading to Bodrum, with tender beef strips laid over golden potato matchsticks, under a cool, garlicky yogurt.

Çökertme kebab
Total time
45 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.60
Calories per person
760 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

Under a layer of cool, garlicky yogurt, just seared beef strips rest on a bed of thin, crispy fries. The contrast between the warm meat, the cold yogurt and the crunchy potatoes is what makes this dish from Bodrum so appealing. Butter melted with sweet paprika, poured on right before serving, adds a touch of color and warmth without ever being too spicy.

This is a dish to make when you have a bit of time on a weeknight or a Sunday, since it needs two separate cooking steps to keep an eye on. Kids generally love the fries and beef part, and warm up quickly to the garlic yogurt if you serve it on the side rather than poured over. Mon Chou walks you through it step by step so both cooking steps land at the same time.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Sirloin or beef tenderloin 600 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 800 g
  • Garlic 2 cloves
  • Tomatoes 2
  • Flat leaf parsley 1 bunch

Pantry

  • Frying oiloften in the pantry 50 cl
  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Plain yogurt 4 cup
  • Butter 40 g

Allergens Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into thin matchsticks, rinse them in cold water and dry them.

    The thinner the matchsticks, the crispier they turn out.

  2. Mix the yogurt with crushed garlic and a pinch of salt, then keep it chilled.

    Let the garlic sit in the yogurt for a while, the flavor mellows out.

  3. Fry the matchsticks in two batches in hot oil until golden, then drain them on paper towels. 12 min

    Don't overcrowd the pan, or the potatoes will turn soft instead of crisp.

  4. Cut the beef into thin strips, sear them quickly in a very hot pan, season with salt and pepper. 6 min

    Ten seconds too long and the meat toughens, pull it off the heat as soon as it's well browned.

  5. Arrange the fries on the plate, add the beef, top with garlic yogurt and drizzle with butter melted with sweet paprika.

    Adding the butter and paprika at the very last moment gives the dish its color and flavor.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the beef against the grain, the strips stay more tender to chew.
  • Keep the garlic yogurt chilled until the very last moment, it needs to stay cold against the hot beef.
  • Heat your empty pan for a few minutes before adding the beef, a pan that's not hot enough makes the meat release water instead of browning.

The variations

  • Swap the beef for thinly sliced lamb, which brings the flavor closer to traditional Turkish versions.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with sliced button mushrooms sautéed the same way.
  • For a quicker version, swap the homemade matchsticks for frozen oven fries, bringing the total time down to 25 minutes.

What to serve it with

  • A tomato and red onion salad
  • Warm flatbread
  • A chilled ayran

Storage

Keep the beef, fries and yogurt in separate sealed containers, for up to 2 days in the fridge. Don't freeze the fries once cooked, they lose their crispness. Reheat the beef and fries separately in a pan, and add the cold yogurt only when serving.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the garlic yogurt ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it the day before and keep it chilled in a sealed container. The garlic actually mellows as it sits, making the flavor softer the next day.

What cut of beef works if I don't have sirloin?

Beef tenderloin works just as well, or a thinly sliced flank steak cut against the grain. Avoid stewing cuts, they stay tough with such a quick cook time.

Can the fries be baked instead of fried?

Yes, spread the matchsticks on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil and bake in a hot oven, flipping halfway through. They'll be less crispy than fried, but the dish still works well.

How do you make the garlic flavor milder for kids?

Serve the garlic yogurt on the side instead of poured over the dish, so everyone adds as much as they like. You can also cut the amount of garlic in the yogurt by half.

How long does it take to make a çökertme kebab, sautéed beef over crispy fries with garlic yogurt?

Count 45 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a çökertme kebab, sautéed beef over crispy fries with garlic yogurt?

About 760 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a çökertme kebab, sautéed beef over crispy fries with garlic yogurt cost?

About €3.60 per serving, or €14.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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