Bowl Kebap (Tas Kebabı)

Bowl kebap is one of my mom's specialties, the kind that you request every time you go back home. It is family favorite in our house as well; even the picky ones love this dish. 

Bowl kebap is a very simple recipe. Preparation time is approximately 15 minutes, but you need to cook the meat between 1-2 hours for tenderness and deliciousness. 

Some people find how this dish is cooked confusing and because of that shy away from trying it. I assure you, it is very easy. All you need to do before getting your ingredients ready is (1) to find a bowl with a flat rim that can hold ~2 lb of meat; (2) and a wide pot that the bowl can fit in when it's upside down. Voila! You're ready.

 serves 4-6 people

~2 lb stew beef or lamb
1-1 1/2 cup diced onions
1 tsp or more black ground pepper
1-1 1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp tomato or red pepper paste

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp butter
2 cups of boiling water

(optional: 2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced. Traditionally bowl kebap is made simply with meat, no vegetable is used. However, sometimes I do like the addition of potatoes in this dish. Potatoes simmered in meat juice makes a wonderful baby food when mashed.) 



-For this dish find a bowl with flat, even rim that is resistant to heat and would hold all the ingredients. Next find a pot that the bowl would fit upside down, as in the picture.
-If you're using potatoes, place them at the bottom of the bowl.
-In a different bowl mix meat, onion, salt, pepper, olive oil, and tomato or red pepper paste with your hands. Get in there and make sure meat gets coated with all.
-Add this meat mix to the bowl, on top of the potatoes. If you're not using potatoes, just place the meat in the bowl. Depending on the size of the bowl, meat may or may not go all the way up, either way is fine. 
-Scatter small pieces of butter on top.
-Put the pot on top of the bowl. Securing both the pot and the bowl with your hands, turn the pot upside down so that the bowl will be sitting in it upside down as in the picture above.
-Since this is how we will be cooking the bowl kebap and we don't want the bowl to move, place a heavy container on top to seal or stabilize the bowl in the pot: a full pitcher, teapot, or a kettle filled with water like I did.
-Pour 2 cups of boiling water in the pot to fill between the bowl and the pot.
-Start cooking on high. Once you see bubbles on the sides of the bowl, turn it down to low or low medium and cook between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. With really good meat, 1 1/2 hours would suffice, however, if you're using a less expensive cut I would recommend cooking for 2 hours. Regardless, anything will come out scrumptious cooked for two hours in this method. 
-When you turn it off, you need to move the pitcher, teapot or whatever you placed on top, and slowly remove the bowl leaving the ingredients in the pot to mix with the water which has turned in to delicious juice now. If you do not remove the bowl when it's still hot, it might get sucked in and sealed to the pot. If this happens, don't panic, just reheat the bowl kebap. When it warms up, it will allow you to take the bowl back. 

-Serve bowl kebap with any kind of rice or grain, but I have to say it's best with buttery white rice and a hearty red wine. 

If you try this recipe, I guarantee it will become a favorite for you as well.