Kebabs are the easy part of dinner. The question I always get is what to put next to them. A good kebab wants a few sides that balance it out: something fresh and sharp to cut the richness, something to soak up the juices, and usually a cool sauce to bring it all together. Whether you're making my oven-baked kebab rolls or skewers like my Turkish bulgur and adana kebab, here's how I build the plate around them.
A sharp, fresh salad
This is the side I never skip. Grilled or roasted meat is rich, and you want something bright and acidic right next to it. My fattoush salad is the one I make most, crisp lettuce and cucumber with crunchy pita chips and a lemony sumac dressing. The acidity cuts straight through the spiced beef and resets your palate between bites. A simple chopped tomato, cucumber, and parsley salad does the same job if you're short on time.
Rice or a grain to soak up the juices
Kebabs leave behind all these wonderful spiced juices, and you want something on the plate to catch them. Fluffy rice is the classic, but I love a grain like bulgur or couscous for a little more texture. Spoon it right under the kebabs so it drinks up everything that runs off. If you're keeping it traditional, a saffron or vermicelli rice feels a little special without much extra effort.
Warm bread, always
There should be bread on a kebab table, full stop. Warm pita or a flatbread does double duty: you tear it to scoop up sauce and salad, and you can wrap a whole bite of kebab inside it. Warm it for a few seconds over a flame or in a dry pan until it's soft and a little blistered. Cold bread from the bag is a sad thing next to a good kebab.
A cooling sauce or dip
Spiced, charred meat wants something cool and creamy across from it. A few I rotate through:
- Garlic yogurt. Plain yogurt, grated garlic, a little salt and lemon. Two minutes, and it makes everything taste better.
- Toum. The fluffy Lebanese garlic sauce, if you want to go all in. It's punchy and addictive.
- Tahini sauce. Tahini loosened with lemon and water until it's pourable, nutty and rich.
- A quick dip. My boursin and bruschetta dip isn't traditional, but it's a crowd favourite when I'm feeding a group.
Something charred or roasted
Since the oven or grill is already going, I throw on a vegetable. Charred peppers, onions, or tomatoes are the natural partner, they belong on the same skewer mentality as the meat. When I want something heartier, my crispy parmesan roasted potatoes disappear faster than anything else on the table.
How I build the plate
If you want the simplest version that always works, it's this: kebabs, a sharp salad, warm bread, and a garlic-yogurt sauce. That's a complete, generous meal and it's what I put out on a normal weeknight. For a bigger spread or a gathering, add rice and a roasted vegetable and you've got a proper feast with almost no extra effort.
The whole point of a kebab dinner is that it feels abundant without being fussy. Pick one from each group above, lean on the sides that can be made ahead, and let the kebabs be the easy star they already are. Tell me what you serve yours with.
