Tas Kebap - Greek veal stew in a tomato sauce

Τας κεμπάπ, το Πολίτικο κοκκινιστό

Mar 01, 2025

∙ Paid

Last week, I was waxing poetic about the arrival of spring and the anticipation of all that it would bring. Well, let me tell you, it has brought many things alright, just not what I was expecting. It brought snow, and cold, and chapped lips, and pairs of boots that need to be thrown away because they have been worn for six months already. I’m not going to tell you that I don’t like this weather; I’m going to tell you that I hate it. Enough is enough!

As it is understandable, this northern European spring is making me crave all kinds of wintry things like stews and soups and warm cocoas. I know for some of you all these may not sound that appealing anymore, but for those of you living in places that spring has forgotten, you get me, I know you do.

So, I give you my version of comfort food. A traditional Greek dish of the Politiki cuisine, the kind of Greek cuisine I grew up with (you can read all about it here). This dish is called Tas Kebap and the name is not Greek but Arabic. It’s a dish that was brought to Greece from Greek refugees leaving Constantinople (Istanbul) and Asia Minor, and it has since become part of the Greek culinary heritage.
You may know of the Turkish version of the dish which is heavier as it uses butter and is made with lamb, whereas the Greek version is made with olive oil and the meat of choice is veal.

When someone hears the word kebap or kebab, what jumps into their mind are images of meat skewers being grilled over an open fire and yes, in some cases this is true, but kebap actually refers to numerous dishes containing cubed meat, and different varieties of kebap can be found around the world.

The Greek Tas Kebap is a hearty stew of cubed veal cooked in a thick and rich tomato sauce flavored with spices and red wine. The meat is cooked slowly over a low heat until succulent and at the end you have a luscious, glistening red sauce with the tangy and sweet taste of tomato and spices warming your soul, comforting you in all the right ways.

This unassuming dish is for me the epitome of comfort food, with all the smells and flavors of my grandmother’s kitchen. It is a dish my mom always made and still makes for me whenever I have meat cravings. A dish I grew up with and one that I love. It is, after all, my favorite meat dish.

Tas kebap is traditionally served with pilaf rice, a simple white rice, or with eggplant purée thus creating the famous hunkar begendi, another dish I grew up with and for which the recipe I need to share with you. In the case of hunkar begendi, I change slightly the recipe for the tas kebap, but I will tell you more about it when the time comes. For now, enjoy a taste of traditional Greek Politiki cuisine and let’s hope that spring will make its way here soon.