#lavash

Oven-baked beef kefta wrapped in warm lavash with a fresh onion salad and creamy roasted garlic sauce 🔥 Big Middle Eastern flavors, one sheet pan, minimal effort.

📋 INGREDIENTS

🥩 Beef Kefta ▸ 700–900g lean ground beef ▸ 1 tbsp smoked paprika | 1 tsp cumin | 1 tsp turmeric ▸ 1 tsp chili powder | 1 tsp garlic powder | 1 tsp garam masala ▸ 2 tsp salt | 2 tsp black pepper ▸ 1 large yellow onion, grated & squeezed dry ▸ 6–8 garlic cloves, minced ▸ 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped ▸ 4 tbsp avocado oil (for topping before baking)

🧄 Roasted Garlic ▸ 2 heads of garlic ▸ 1 tbsp avocado oil | salt flakes ▸ Optional: 1 roasted red pepper for extra flavor

🥗 Onion Salad ▸ 1 red onion, thinly sliced ▸ 2 medium tomatoes, diced ▸ 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped ▸ 1 tsp sumac | 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses ▸ Juice of 1/2 lemon | 2 tbsp avocado oil ▸ Salt & pepper to taste

🥣 Roasted Garlic Paprika Sauce ▸ 2 tbsp Greek yogurt ▸ 3 tbsp mayo ▸ Roasted garlic from 2 heads ▸ 1 tbsp tahini | juice of 1/2 lemon ▸ 1 tbsp paprika | 1 tsp chili powder | 1 tsp garlic powder ▸ Salt & pepper to taste

🫓 To Assemble ▸ Lavash bread

👩‍🍳 HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Roast garlic heads at 200°C for 50–60 min (tops cut, drizzle oil + salt, wrap in foil)

2. Grate onion and squeeze out all excess liquid

3. Mix beef with garlic, onion, parsley and seasoning until slightly sticky

4. Spread on a sheet pan (~1.5cm thick), score into strips, drizzle with avocado oil

5. Bake 12–15 min, then broil 3–6 min until golden

6. Toss onion salad ingredients together in a bowl

7. Blend roasted garlic with yogurt, mayo, tahini, lemon juice and seasoning

Yesterday, I was able to try kashk bademjan and baghali polo through a potluck dinner. I was excited to see them because the only Persian food I tried were the kebabs and roasted tomatoes, so I really wanted to try other types of authentic, home-cooked Persian food. Kashk bademjan, the Persian eggplant dip, had a mild flavor and paired really well with the flatbread (I think it was lavash). The baghali polo also had a mild taste and the texture of the fava beans went well with the fluffiness and softness of the rice. I never had rice with dill, so the overall color and fragrance was interesting. There were also some crunchy rice bits which were pleasant to crunch on; it also reminded me of ‘nurungji’, a Korean word that refers to the thin layer of crunchy rice left after cooking rice in a pot. Since the only Persian food I had were the kebabs that had strong seasoning, I learned that Persian food can also be mild but at the same time flavorful. Upon reflection, I realized that Persian cuisine has elements of both South and Western Asian cuisines. For instance, it has a diverse range of rice dishes like most South Asian countries, but at the same time has dips that are more prevalent in Western Asia countries. Also, ingredients such as eggplants and dill are not commonly used as the main ingredients for Korean dishes, so those ingredients working as the main character was interesting. I hope to try more Persian food in the future.