Ingredients
500g of wheat or barley; 500g of lamb (less fat); salt to taste; about 2lt of water; 2 tbsp of butter; 2 tsp of black pepper; 150g of cheakpeas (optional); 1/2 cup of cheese (optional); 1 tomato (skin removed, optional); 1/4 cup of fresh parsley (optional).
Preparation and Cooking
- Rinse the wheat or barley (and optional cheakpeas) under cold water until the water runs clear and soak it in plenty of water overnight, and then drain the wheat or barley.
- Combining them with the meat in a large pot (at least twice the size of the ingredients) with lid and cover with water. Note that wheat or barley will not double the size as cooked since they are soaked overnight.
- Place the pot in a wood-fired oven. The temperature should ideally be low to medium (120-140oC), as in the slowcooking mode while the oven door is closed and let the mixture to cook slowly for 5-6 hours. Note that if you use a glazed clay pot, it can avoid sticking as well as occasional stiring.
- After cooking water content is reduced significanly while the grains and the meat becomes tender. Then begin the process of stirring and mashing with a wooden spoon to achieve the desired creamy porridge like consistency.
- Note that barley and meat break down easily under slow cooking and minimise the mashing time while offering the desirable consistency with smokey and highly flavoursome taste. Add salt to taste and serve Keşkek with melted butter and black pepper and paprika on top to enhance the flavour.
Hints and Comments
- Keşkek is a traditional Anatolian dish but primarily known around the province of Mugla. While it is not technically a kebab, it’s a beloved dish in Turkish cuisine and can be considered as “stew” due to the preparation method in the wood fired oven.
- It is preferred in cold weather, and is possible to make a chicken version as well
- If not use a slow cooked wood fired oven, the dish is highly manual due to the manual effort needed to combine the main ingredients. Therefore, it is prepared for special occasions and involves a communal effort due to the amount of stirring and mashing needed.
