AI-generated photo.
Turkish · Iconic, Bursa · Turkey
Iskender kebab
Also called İskender kebap
Iskender kebab (İskender kebap), a Bursa plate from Turkey.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Iskender kebab is cooked in Bursa as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Grill the lamb through, lay it on torn bread, and spoon tomato butter and yogurt over it. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
80
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Gentle
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 37%
- Carbs 29%
- Fat 34%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 35.3 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 725 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Fat or sugar is high for a day when appetite is low.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Lamb leg164 kcal
- Pita110 kcal
- Unsalted butter54 kcal
- Greek yogurt, 2%38 kcal
- Canned crushed tomato14 kcal
- Sweet paprika1 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 19.5. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 383 kcal.
Allergens. Gluten, Milk, Wheat
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 383 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 383 kcal | 19% |
| Protein | 35.3 g | 71% |
| Carbohydrate | 28.2 g | 10% |
| Fiber | 1.6 g | 6% |
| Total sugars | 3.8 g | 8% |
| Fat | 14.5 g | 19% |
| Saturated fat | 6.8 g | 34% |
| Cholesterol | 109 mg | 36% |
| Sodium | 725 mg | 32% |
| Potassium | 693 mg | 15% |
| Calcium | 117 mg | 9% |
| Iron | 4 mg | 22% |
| Magnesium | 54 mg | 13% |
| Zinc | 4.8 mg | 44% |
| Vitamin A · estimate | 92 mcg | 10% |
| Vitamin C | 4.7 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 1.1 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 2 mcg | 2% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 43% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.5 mg | 37% |
| Niacin (B3) | 9.2 mg | 57% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg | 14% |
| Folate | 46 mcg | 12% |
| Vitamin B12 · estimate | 2.4 mcg | 99% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Grill pan or grill
- Tongs
- Scale
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Lamb leg4 pieces520 g
Pita4 pitas160 g
Greek yogurt, 2%0.7 cup160 g
Canned crushed tomato1 cup220 g
Unsalted butter2 tbsp30 g
Sweet paprika0.5 tsp2 g
Garlic1 clove4 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Iskender kebab. Heat to a hot grate, about 450°F / 232°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh lamb leg, pita, greek yogurt, 2%, canned crushed tomato, unsalted butter, sweet paprika, garlic, kosher salt. Iskender kebab is cooked in Bursa as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Grill the lamb through, lay it on torn bread, and spoon tomato butter and yogurt over it. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Iskender kebab is cooked in turkey. Also called İskender kebap. Pat the surface dry before it hits the pan, or it will steam instead of brown.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Iskender kebab, until the edges take a little color. Do not crowd the pan. Brown in two batches if the pieces touch.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Iskender kebab at a hot grate, about 450°F / 232°C. Start checking at 16 minutes. Iskender kebab is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was a hot grate, about 450°F / 232°C.
Grill 16 min
- 🇹🇷 TurkeyMiddle Easticon-turkey-iskender-kebab-step-4
Iskender kebab, step 5
Step 5 · Iskender kebab
5Check the center of Iskender kebab, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇹🇷 TurkeyMiddle Easticon-turkey-iskender-kebab-step-5
Iskender kebab, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Iskender kebab for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in turkey, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Iskender kebab in this shot order and no other: oil or butter just starting to shimmer; the slice or ladle hitting a warm plate; hands shaping a loaf or patty; cheese melting only after the boil stops. Slate words for the editor: mortar, bronzed, shimmer, hearthside, undercrust, iris, umber, hearth, whisk, opaque.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Iskender kebab is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was a hot grate, about 450°F / 232°C.
If it goes wrong
- Iskender kebab looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Iskender kebab turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Iskender kebab, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Iskender kebab is one of the plates people ask for by name from Bursa.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Grill the lamb through, lay it on torn bread, and spoon tomato butter and yogurt over it.
Allergens in the required list: Gluten, Milk, Wheat.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.