Tasty Turkish Kebabs — a plant-based Mediterranean recipe by BOSH!
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Tasty Turkish Kebabs

We are genuinely obsessed with these Turkish kebabs right now. There's something about that smoky, herby marinade soaked into pressed tofu that just hits different, especially when it's coming off the grill with a little char on the edges. We keep making these for Friday night dinners when we want something that feels a bit special without being a massive faff. The flavours are bold and aromatic, think lemon, garlic, warm spices, and that drizzle of reserved marinade on top ties everything together beautifully. Honestly, if you've got 70 minutes tonight, make these. You won't regret it.

Cook: 70 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Tofu press (or kitchen paper & heavy weight)
  • Food processor
  • Metal skewers (soaked in water if wooden)
  • Grill pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Press tofu for 30 minutes
  • Marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes (or overnight)

Ingredients

  • 250g firm tofu
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes - (substitute chilli flakes)
  • 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
  • 4 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 150g cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ aubergine
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • pinch of za'atar
  • pita bread or flatbreads to serve

Method

1

First, press the tofu

  • Press the tofu by placing in a tofu press or wrap it in kitchen paper and place under a heavy weight for 30 minutes
  • Cut into 9 cubes
2

Then marinade the tofu

  • Peel and roughly chop the garlic
  • Juice and zest the lemon
  • Combine all the marinade ingredients in the food processor, blitz to a smooth paste and season to taste
  • Pour half the marinade into a mixing bowl and reserve the other half to drizzle over the kebabs
  • Place the tofu cubes in half of the marinade and leave for at least 30 minutes (or overnight if you can)
3

Next, build the skewers

  • Chop the pepper into 2cm chunks, removing the seeds and pith
  • Chop the aubergine in to 2cm chunks
  • Place all vegetables in a bowl, add the oil, cayenne pepper and zaatar
  • Toss to mix well
  • Thread the tofu and veg chunks in whatever order you fancy onto the skewers
4

Then grill the bread and kebabs

  • Place a grill pan on a high heat and leave the pan for several minutes to allow it to become very hot
  • Place the pitta breads or flat breads on the grill and allow to cook for several minutes, turning once grill marks can be seen on the bread, set aside
  • Place the vegetable skewers on to the grill pan and cook for 5-10 minutes, turning half way through
5

Serve and enjoy!

  • Drizzle the skewers with leftover marinade
  • Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with salad and the grilled pitta or flat breads

Tips & Variations

  • Press the tofu properly: We can't stress this enough. A good 30 minutes under a heavy weight or in a tofu press makes the tofu so much better at soaking up all those gorgeous flavours.
  • Get some colour on it: Whether you're using a griddle pan, a BBQ, or even just your oven on high, don't be afraid of a bit of char. That's where the flavour is.
  • Make extra marinade: It doubles brilliantly as a sauce for wraps or a dip for flatbreads. Henry always makes a double batch and uses it all week.

Why This Works

The trick here is pressing the tofu properly first. We know it feels like an extra step but it makes a huge difference, getting rid of that excess moisture means the tofu actually absorbs the marinade instead of just sitting in it. Blitzing the marinade into a smooth paste and using half to marinate and half to drizzle at the end is the move that really makes these sing.