Vegan Turkish Kebabs With Sumac Onions and Garlic-Dill Mayonnaise

Published March 4, 2020

Vegan Turkish Kebabs With Sumac Onions and Garlic-Dill Mayonnaise
Kate Mathis for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(495)
Comments
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These vegan ground meat kebabs are inspired by Turkish street food. The kebabs themselves can be served on their own with the garlic-dill mayonnaise, or made into wraps, or tucked into Turkish bread or pita for sandwiches, with garlic-dill mayonnaise, sumac onions and tomatoes.

Featured in: How to Cook With Plant-Based Meats

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Sumac Onions

    • 1medium red onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
    • 1cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
    • 1tablespoon ground sumac

    For the Garlic-dill Mayonnaise

    • 20garlic cloves, peeled and ends trimmed
    • 1cup vegan mayonnaise
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • Large handful of minced fresh dill leaves
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    For the Kebabs

    • 1pound vegan ground meat, such as Impossible or Beyond
    • 1tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
    • 3medium garlic cloves, minced
    • teaspoons Urfa pepper, or 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile
    • teaspoons ground sumac
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    For Serving

    • 1teaspoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
    • 1cup cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1cup arugula
    • Hot sauce, to taste
    • Vegan Turkish bread or pita
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

600 calories; 42 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 1109 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the sumac onions: Combine all ingredients and toss until the onion pieces are separated and well coated. (You should have about 1½ cups. Sumac onions should be used the day they are made.)

  2. Step 2

    Make the garlic-dill mayonnaise: Put 18 garlic cloves in a medium pot, and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue cooking for 30 seconds. Drain garlic and allow to cool to room temperature.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, mince the remaining 2 garlic cloves. In a food processor, combine blanched and raw garlic, mayonnaise and lemon juice; process until completely smooth. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer mixture to a bowl, stir in minced dill, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (You should have about 1½ cups.)

  4. Step 4

    Make the kebabs: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and fold with very clean hands until fully incorporated. Divide mixture in half, then divide each half into 6 equal balls. Working on a clean cutting board, roll them into cylinders about ¾ inch in diameter. Cut each cylinder in half to form 24 small logs.

  5. Step 5

    Cook and serve: In a large skillet over medium-high, heat oil until shimmering. Add the logs, working in batches if necessary to prevent crowding. Cook on one side until well browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on second side until well browned and cooked through, another 1½ minutes. (Alternatively, cook on a hot grill until lightly charred and cooked through.) Transfer to a serving plate.

  6. Step 6

    Serve with sumac onions, garlic-dill mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes, arugula, hot sauce and Turkish bread or pita.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
495 user ratings
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Comments

What is a good replacement for sumac? Or, where is a good place to buy it? I live in the NYC area for reference...

The attraction lies in the knowledge that an animal didn't die to put it on your plate. The vegans I know enjoy mock meats for a few additional reasons: 1. Cooked properly, new options actually taste good! 2. They're protein-dense, and usually easy to prepare and eat, and 3. You can go to a restaurant with omnivore friends and eat a burger that looks like theirs. Having food that doesn't instantly mark you as "other" is a nice change.

I make a seitan version of this (I make my own seitan using the same seasonings plus) and serve with cacik and zhoug (which we practically eat straight out of the bowl it is so yummy). Looking forward to trying the sumac onions! zhoug: whir together 1 cup cilantro 2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 1 jalapeño 1 garlic clove ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground coriander ⅛ teaspoon sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

A favorite dish in our house. One hack to simplify prep: I use a cookie scoop (about 1 tbsp) to portion out the kebabs, rolling each one into a log. Much faster than the method in the recipe (that works too, of course).

I used to love going to Khyber Pass in New York City before it closed. Would be so great to be able to order anything with Beyond vegan option. Nom.

I make something similar and even omnivores devour them, but the base of my sauce is vegan yogurt instead of vegan mayonnaise. Honestly any recipe serving four people calling for 1 cup mayonnaise is way too much mayonnaise in my book. Yogurt is less oily and the herb flavors carry really well in it. I flavor the vegan yogurt sauce with fresh garlic and lemon and also dried mint, basil, tarragon, pepper and sometimes cumin--but of course also fresh dill when I've got it.

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