Thick slices of eggplant alternated with spiced ground-lamb patties on skewers, grilled over charcoal, then served over garlic yogurt with a tomato-pomegranate sauce and a finish of Aleppo-pistachio and chili butter — a specialty of Aleppo's kebab houses.
Kebab Banjan belongs to Aleppo's signature kebab tradition, where the eggplant-and-meat pairing is elevated with pomegranate or tomato sourness and the region's distinctive chili butter (samneh harra). It exemplifies the Aleppine tendency to build complete kebab dishes — kebab plus sauce plus bread — rather than serving a grilled skewer alone. The name simply means eggplant kebab (the Levantine word for eggplant), and it is a specialty of Aleppo's kebab houses rather than a generic Levantine grill.
The eggplant is charred and smoky outside, custardy within, having soaked up the lamb fat that dripped across it on the skewer. The meat patty is garlicky and warm with allspice. The cool garlic yogurt beneath cuts the richness; the tomato-pomegranate sauce adds a sweet-sour counter, and the chili butter on top brings a slow burn and the green crunch of pistachio.
Grilling the eggplant directly over coals chars the skin and dehydrates the surface, concentrating its sugars and producing smoke-driven Maillard browning; the flesh steams inside its skin and absorbs the lamb fat rendered onto the skewer. Alternating eggplant with fatty lamb patties is deliberate: the fat bastes the eggplant as it renders, preventing it from drying out. The garlic yogurt (emulsified fat + acid + water) provides cooling contrast and its acidity brightens the char. Tomato paste and pomegranate molasses together supply glutamate, fructose and tartaric/pomegranate acid for the sweet-sour sauce. Chili butter (samneh harra) adds capsaicin heat carried in fat, which coats the palate and lingers.
Variations
Some versions layer the grilled eggplant and meat in a tray and bake with the sauce rather than serving on skewers. The chili butter is sometimes replaced with plain ghee and red pepper. Aleppo pistachio can be swapped for pine nuts.
On the Palate
Where Kebab Banjan sits in the Syrian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · 50 min
- 18 min
Make the kebab mixture: knead 500g ground lamb with 1 grated onion (juice squeezed out), 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt and a handful of chopped parsley; form into 12 small oval patties around flat skewers.
- 23 min
Peel 2 large eggplants in stripes; cut into 2cm rounds, lightly salt, and let sit 20 minutes to draw out bitterness; pat dry, then toss with a little olive oil.
- 35 min
Thread the skewers alternately: lamb patty, eggplant slice, lamb patty, eggplant — pressing the meat and eggplant together so they hold.
Watch outPress each lamb patty tight against the eggplant on the skewer — pack them so they hold, and the rendering fat bastes the eggplant instead of both falling off.
- 410 min
Grill over hot charcoal (or a very hot grill pan) for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until the eggplant is charred and soft and the meat is cooked through.
Watch outGrill over high heat until the eggplant is charred and collapsing soft — the eggplant needs to go fully tender, drinking up the lamb fat, not stay firm and squeaky.
- 58 min
Slide the meat and eggplant off the skewers onto a plate of seasoned garlic yogurt; warm 2 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and 3 tbsp water into a quick sauce and spoon over; finish with a pour of chili butter (ghee melted with Aleppo pepper and crushed pistachio).
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