Testi Kebabı (Cappadocian Clay-Pot Beef and Peppers)

• 1.2 kg lean beef (topside or round, 'dana but'), cut into small cubes
• 250 g arpacık soğan (small pickling onions), peeled
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled
• 1½ kapya biber (long red peppers), seeded and chopped
• 5 hot green peppers, seeded and chopped
• 4 çarliston biber (mild pale-green peppers), seeded and chopped
• 6 tomatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 tsp (1½ tatlı kaşığı) salt
• 2 tsp (1 tatlı kaşığı) black pepper
• 4 tsp (2 tatlı kaşığı) pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes)
• 3–5 bay leaves (optional)
• a little olive oil (about 1 tbsp), to coat
• 200 ml (1 su bardağı) water
• 2 tsp (1 tatlı kaşığı) salça (tomato paste)
• 3 tbsp butter (1 tbsp per pot)

Method

The cook speaks Turkish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Trim the beef and cut it into small cubes (kuşbaşı). The cook uses lean beef from the leg and adds butter later. 1:38
2. Seed the kapya, hot green and çarliston peppers and chop them; peel the tomatoes and cut them into cubes the same size as the meat. 2:13
3. Put the beef, peppers, tomatoes, peeled garlic cloves and small onions in a large bowl. Add the salt (3 tsp), black pepper (2 tsp), pul biber (4 tsp), the bay leaves and a little olive oil, and mix well. 3:12
4. Pack the mixture evenly into three clay jugs (testi), leaving a little space at the top; the cook says three jugs make about six portions. 4:30
5. Stir 2 tsp tomato paste into 200 ml (1 glass) water and share it between the jugs. Add a bay leaf and 1 tbsp butter to each. 5:16
6. Mix 1 glass (about 200 ml) plain flour with a little water into a stiff dough, divide it in three and press it over the mouth of each jug to seal it (the dough is not eaten). 6:27
7. Cook over low coals with the heat around the sides (or in a low oven) for 2–2½ hours. After 20 minutes pierce each seal with a toothpick to let steam escape. 7:02
8. Lift out the jugs, crack them open (or pour the stew out of the neck) and serve the meat and vegetables with their juices. 8:23

Tip. No clay jugs? Use a lidded cast-iron pot sealed with foil in a 160°C oven. On camera the cook says 250 g onions and 2 tsp paste (his list: 350 g, 1 tbsp). The salt is generous (1.3 g sodium a serve). Usually served with bulgur pilaf.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.