RECIPE: The not-so-dirty doner kebab

Kebabs and guilt seem to go hand-in-hand as their reputation as end-of-the-night, greasy drunk food proves difficult to shake, but it’s not all bad. There’s salad and pitta bread, and as long as you don’t go overboard on the sauces a kebab has got more going for it in the health stakes than a lot of takeaway options, especially if you opt for a chicken shish kebab, which is high in protein and is lower in fat than a doner kebab.

The average lamb doner kebab comes in at around 2,000 calories and contains a hell of a lot of salt and fat. Plus, a Which? survey in 2014 found that many of the lamb doners they tested actually contained random bits of other meat, so we reckon staying clear of the kebab shop on a night out is a wise move. Instead, give our homemade doner kebab a go – it looks more difficult than it actually is as the food processor does most of the work.

The not-so-dirty doner kebab

Serves 2

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories: 579
Protein: 36.7g
Saturated fat: 6.2g
Carbs: 38.8g
Sugar: 3.7g

Ingredients:

For the doner meat:

• 175g lamb mince
• 175g diced lamb leg
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• Pinch of salt & black pepper

To serve:

• 2 wholemeal tortilla wraps
• 50g iceberg lettuce
• 50g cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• ½ red onion

Equipment needed:

• A food processor
• A rolling pin
• 2 large baking trays
• Greaseproof paper
• A pizza cutter

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 9 or 240/220C
2. Add all the ingredients for the doner meat to a food processor and blitz until the lamb is a smooth consistency.
3. Divide the mixture into two balls and then put each ball onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Cover with another sheet of greaseproof paper and use your rolling pin to roll it out until the mixture is very thin and even.
4. Remove the top sheet of paper, place on to baking trays and cook in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Peel away the paper and turn over and brown the other side for 1 minute.
5. Leave the lamb to rest while you prepare the salad and warm the tortillas according to the instructions on the packet.
6. Using the pizza cutter, slice the lamb into strips. Serve on a warmed tortilla and top with salad.
7. The only thing left to do is to choose your sauce, whether it’s mint and yoghurt, sweet chilli, a squeeze of lemon or BBQ sauce, the list is endless – just be careful that you don’t load your kebab with more calories in sauce than the rest of the meal.

This is a great option when you’re craving a greasy kebab but don’t want to blow your calorie budget. And you don’t even need to wait until you’re on your way home from a night out either.

Like the look of our not-so-dirty kebab? If you make this, we want to see your culinary genius – tag your posts on social media with #manvfat!