Source video by Ethan Chlebowski (or similar technique-focused channel) on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.
Lamb mince (about 1 kg, 30% fat) goes into a food processor with a blended seasoning pulp: 2 onions, yoghurt, salt, black pepper, cumin, Turkish chilli flakes, Turkish oregano, MSG (optional) and a splash of olive oil. Blitz hard until the meat goes stringy and sticky, that's what binds the strips later. Fridge 30 minutes plus to firm. Roll out flat between two sheets of parchment, fold into rolls, set the rolls in the air fryer at 150°C for 22 minutes. Unwrap, tear into strips, sear in butter and a splash of the cooking liquid on a hot pan. Wrap into pitas with cabbage pickle, ezme chilli salsa, garlic-mint sauce and parsley-sumac tomato salad.
Air fryer notes: Source cooks the rolls in the oven at 150°C for 22 min and explicitly tested air-fryer too, said it worked but needed too many batches versus the oven. The air-fryer version here is honest about that: the temperature and time transfer cleanly, but you'll do 2-3 batches in a 5-6L air fryer for the 1 kg meat. The final pan-sear stays a hob step; the cook tested air-frying the sear and rated it dry. The accompanying sides (cabbage pickle, ezme, garlic sauce, tomato salad) are no-cook and not part of the air-fryer workflow.
Ingredients
- 1 kglamb mince (or beef mince), kept cold from the fridge until use
- 2onions, roughly chopped, blended
- natural yoghurt
- salt
- black pepper
- ground cumin
- Turkish (pul biber) chilli flakes
- Turkish or Greek oregano
- MSG
- olive oil
- unsalted butter (add late)
- pita bread, cabbage pickle, ezme chilli salsa, garlic-mint yoghurt sauce, parsley-sumac tomato salad, see steps for the side sub-recipes (add late)
Method
In a food processor, blitz 2 onions with the yoghurt, salt, black pepper, cumin, Turkish chilli flakes, Turkish oregano, MSG (if using) and olive oil until a fine pulp.
~3 minAdd the cold lamb mince. Blitz until the meat goes visibly stretchy and sticky, fibres should pull when you lift it. Scrape the walls and keep going if needed.
~4 minTip the meat into a bowl and fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm.
~30 minTear off a sheet of parchment paper. Put a pile of meat in the middle, cover with a second sheet. Roll out with a rolling pin to ~3 mm thick.
~4 minFold the parchment lengthwise: nice straight folds. Press along each crease so the meat sets into discrete strips. Repeat with the rest of the meat (probably 2-3 rolls per kg).
~5 minPreheat the air fryer to 150°C. Sit one roll in the basket (work in batches because most air fryers only fit one comfortably). Cook 22 minutes.
~22 minUnwrap the cooked roll. Tear into strips along the folds. Reserve any rendered liquid in a jug.
~2 minHeat a sauté pan over high heat. Add a knob of butter. Tip in enough strips to cover but not crowd. Stir-fry until the strips brown on the bottom.
~3 minSplash in a little of the reserved cooking liquid plus a tablespoon of cold water. The liquid will pick up the brown from the pan and glaze the strips. Toss until evaporated.
~1 minKeep the seared doner warm under a pot lid while you do the rest in batches.
~1 minSides while the meat sets up: salt-pickle 1 cabbage (finely sliced, 1 tsp salt + pinch citric acid, rest 30 min, then lemon juice + olive oil); make ezme (food-processor blitz peeled tomatoes, then red onion, then chillies, mix with red pepper paste + salt + chopped parsley); make garlic sauce (equal parts mayo and yoghurt, 1 grated garlic clove, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, dried mint); make tomato salad (sliced tomatoes, parsley, salt, sumac).
~25 minAssemble: warm pita, ezme on the base, tomato salad, seared doner strips, cabbage pickle, garlic sauce.
~3 min