Tas kebab is the name we give to small pieces of beef cooked in a rich red sauce with plenty of spices. From this wonderful combination comes a truly hearty dish.
This famous and much-loved dish has Persian roots and reached Greece—fortunately for us—through Turkey.
Traditionally, the meat for tas kebab is beef or lamb, and it calls for plenty of tomato, garlic and onion, and of course a combination of spices, with cumin, cinnamon and allspice taking center stage.
It is served with pilaf, but it also goes wonderfully with thick spaghetti, fried potatoes, eggplant purée and mashed potatoes.
Essentially, tas kebab follows the logic of classic beef in tomato sauce, but it gets its distinctiveness from the playful touch the spices give it.
INGREDIENTS for tas kebab (for 4 people)
- 1 kg beef cut into cubes (chuck, neck or shoulder)
- 3 allspice berries
- 4 cloves
- ⅓ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 dry onions, finely chopped
- 100 ml olive oil
- 100 ml red or rosé wine
- 400 g tomatoes, grated, fresh or canned (if you use fresh tomatoes, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste as well; if you use canned tomatoes, the paste is not necessary)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt
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Method
Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture.
In a frying pan or shallow heavy-bottomed pot, add half the olive oil, let it heat well, and brown the meat in batches.
Avoid adding all the meat at once, because that will sharply lower the temperature of the pan and the meat will not brown properly.
Once all the meat is browned, remove it and keep it on a plate beside you.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan.
Add the onion and garlic, and stir for two minutes until lightly sautéed.
Return the meat to the pot along with any juices, add salt and all the spices, and stir for one more minute. Add the bay leaves as well.
Deglaze with the wine, stir lightly, and wait one to two minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
Pour in the tomato.
Add the sugar.
Stir again. Lower the heat. Let the dish cook for about one and a half hours, or until the meat becomes tender.
Serve the dish with pilaf or with any other side you like. Fried potatoes or mashed potatoes also go very well.
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