Lahmacun

- Serves 4

Lahmacun, pronounced Lahmajoun, is a thin, crispy pizza topped with delicious spiced minced meat. A popular street food in many parts of the middle-east, this crispy flatbread can be topped with either minced beef or lamb. The key here to season the meat really well with spices, parsley and hot pepper paste. If hot pepper paste is hard to find, simply replace it with more tomato paste. Enjoy these crispy flatbreads wrapped around thinly sliced onions seasoned with salt and sumac, more parsley and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients for Lahmacun

Dough ingredients:
1 teaspoon active dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
350g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
200ml lukewarm water
2 teaspoons light olive oil

Topping ingredients:
225g ground fatty lamb (best to make your own lamb mince using boneless lamb leg)
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste (or 3/4 tablespoon hot red pepper paste + 3/4 tablespoon tomato paste)
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
Zest of 1 lemon
75g onion, finely chopped or grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet green chili pepper, finely cubed
2 medium Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil, to drizzle and brush

Lemon wedges, to serve
200g onion - thinly sliced, to serve
1/4 teaspoon sea-salt
1 teaspoon sumac, to serve
parsley leaves, to garnish

Recipe

To make the dough, place sugar, yeast, flour, salt and a teaspoon of oil in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add 100ml lukewarm water. Using your hand, draw in the flour and work the mixture into a ball of dough, adding more water as you go.
Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil into the base of the bowl and roll the dough in it. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
To make the topping, place ground lamb in a bowl. Add tomato paste, parsley, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, chili flakes, lemon zest, onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and work this mixture into a paste with your hands. Add a tablespoon or more water to make the mixture of spreadable consistency. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat your oven to 230ºC. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down the risen dough, knead it on a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin flat round, stretching the dough with your hands as you roll. Oil a baking sheet and place a few flatbreads on it. Using you hands, spread a thin layer of the meat mixture covering the edges too. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes, until the meat is well cooked and the base is crispy.
Serve hot Lahmacuns topped with thinly sliced onions tossed in salt and sumac, parsley and lemon wedges to squeeze.