#lamacun

One of our favorite menu item in turkish restaurant here in Tashkent. While ordering food, we never used to think twice to order this exotic dish. I always wanted to put my hands on Lahmacun preparation and book marked this recipe long back.But some how it took this long to come out of my oven.

During Ramadhan we never have food from outside. So when I got minced meat, first thing came to my mind was this  yummyy dish to prepare for Iftar. Once it is in your oven, your house will fill with the irresistible smell of Lahmacun and will vanish from your table when served hot. Addition of parsley leaves are very important and it gives this dish a distinct aroma and taste.

Lahmacun is always our favorite and hope you will also start enjoying it as much as we do.

Lets see the recipe. (Recipe adapted from Traditional Turkish Cooking )

Health Benefits :-

Meat contain high quality protein.

Meat doesn’t rise your risk of cardio vascular disease or diabetes. But avoid processed meats.

Meat contain nutrients such as creatine, carnosine, DHA and EPA which are not or less available in plant based food.

Serves – 5 Lahmacun

Ingredients :-

For the Crust dough

All purpose flour – 2 Cup

Instant yeast  – 1/2 tea spoon

Sugar – 1 tea spoon

Olive oil  – 2 table spoon + more for brushing

Salt – to taste

Luke warm water – 3/4 cup

For meat masala

Onion  – 100 g (1 medium)

Tomato – 100 g (1 medium)

Garlic  – 3 to 4 cloves

Green chilli – 2

Parsley  – one handful

Minced Meat (Kheema) – 300 g (About a cup)

Cumin powder – 1 tea spoon

Tomato Paste – 1 table spoon

Olive oil – 2 tea spoon

Salt  – to taste

Direction :-

Take Flour,yeast,sugar,and salt in a mixing bowl and mix together.Then add in olive oil and luke warm water slowly, mix and make soft dough.(You can also use stand mixer with dough hook). Cover and set aside in warm place for 1 and half to two hours or untill it double in size.

In a food processor, take onion,tomato,garlic,green chilli, and parsley and grind it well.

Take onion mix to a bowl and add in minced meat,cumin powder,tomato paste ,olive oil and enough salt and mix everything using a spoon and keep aside.

When your dough is ready, make it into 5 equal sized balls.

Preheat your oven at 200 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Flatten the dough in a floured surface into about 8″ diameter round.

transfer the flattened dough to the prepared parchment paper. (If you are spreading meat filling before transferring to the parchment paper, it will be difficult for you to transfer the lahmacun to the baking tray)

Then Spread the meat filling on top of the dough – about 2 table-spoon or so. (Ref pic above).

Then, bake it in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy warm lahmacun with some black tea.

Tips & Tricks :-

You can add or avoid green chilli in the recipe or substitute with chilli flakes.

You can also add in capsicum while grinding onion/tomato.

Increase/decrease the water while making the dough depends upon the quality of flour you used.