Charcoal grill: how we grill at Tuana
Grilled meat is the core of Turkish cooking, and yet an adana tastes very different from one place to the next. The difference rarely lies in one secret ingredient. It lies in a series of small choices: the fire, the mince, the skewer and the timing. This is how it works at our grill in Bos en Lommer.
Charcoal: the fire makes the flavour
We grill over charcoal, on a mangal. Charcoal gives a dry, fierce heat from below. The fat that drips from the meat sizzles on the coals and comes back into the meat as smoke. You do not get that smoky note on gas or an electric plate, and it is exactly what you taste on the outside of a good skewer.
It starts with the mince
The mince for adana and köfte gets its flavour here, in the restaurant. That is where the work is: seasoning the meat and kneading it until it binds, and only then onto the skewer. Well-kneaded mince stays on the skewer and does not fall apart over the fire. Our adana is spicy, with red pepper, and comes in one version: no mild and no extra-hot variant.
The shape of the skewer
Mince goes around a wide, flat skewer. That flat shape holds the meat and gives it more surface over the fire, so more crust. Kuşbaşı, cubes of meat, goes on a narrower skewer instead, with some space between the pieces so the heat can reach all around. Our adana, kuşbaşı, kaburga and ciğer are lamb.
Heat and timing
Too hot and the outside burns before the inside is cooked; too gentle and the meat dries out. The art is to turn the skewer at the right moment and take it off the coals in time. Chicken and wings need longer than mince, lamb chops want it short and fierce. Every skewer has its own pace, and that is what the grill master watches.
Which skewer should you pick?
Not sure? Start with the adana if you like it spicy, or with chicken if you want it mild. Want to taste a bit of everything? Take the Mix Grill: adana, chicken and kuşbaşı or wings on one platter, for one, two or three people. In Turkish Kebab Types Explained the whole menu is laid out.
Halal, and tea afterwards
The meat is halal. And after the meal every table gets tea on the house: that is how a Turkish meal should end.
Practical: where and how
Tuana Grill is at Bos en Lommerweg 313 in Amsterdam-West, open seven days a week from 9 a.m. Until 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. at the weekend; the kitchen closes half an hour earlier. You can eat in or take away, and delivery is available through Thuisbezorgd, Uber Eats or directly through our own ordering page.
The full menu is on the menu page. Reservations are by phone on +31 20 341 6285.