Lahmacun is a Middle Eastern dish made from thin dough topped with minced meat, vegetables, and sometimes gravy. The dough is made with yeast, flour, and sugar, and the toppings include onion, garlic, chili, parsley, and mint. It can be cooked in a conventional oven and can also be made without meat.
Lahmacun is a pizza-like dish popular in many Middle Eastern countries. Lahmacun is made from a thin round dough base which is topped with a mixture of vegetables, minced meat and sometimes gravy. While they can be baked on baking stones in brick ovens like professional pizzas, lahmacuns can easily be made in conventional ovens as well.
Lahmacun dough is made from active dry yeast, flour and usually sugar. Yeast, and sometimes sugar, is combined with warm water. Once the mixture is bubbly, flour is added and the dough is created. The dough is kneaded into a smooth, springy ball, then lightly coated with oil, covered, and left to rise. When the dough has doubled in size, it is punched and then cut into pieces no smaller than a baseball.
The cut pieces are formed into spheres, covered and allowed to rise again. After the second, shorter, increasing. The balls are rolled into thin discs. The actual sizes of lahmacun vary, but are always single portions, usually similar to a tortilla. In fact, flour tortillas can be used as a substitute for dough.
As the dough balls rise, the topping ingredients can be mixed together. The topping is made from minced or minced beef and lamb. Usually onion, garlic and chili are included. Fresh parsley and mint are usually added, as well as tomato. Spicier versions can include paprika, jalapeños and cumin.
The herbs and vegetables are all chopped and combined with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl or chopped and combined with everything else in a food processor. Usually, onion and garlic are sauteed in butter before being mixed with the rest of the ingredients. When used, the food processor shouldn’t run so long that a paste begins to form, just to combine and thoroughly chop the ingredients.
Once combined, the mixture is spread over the waiting dough. Like a pizza, the edges of the dough should be bare. Next, the lahmacun is cooked. When finished, it can be eaten flat or rolled into a cylinder. They are often stuffed with fresh parsley and onions when rolled up. Lemon juice is often squeezed over the finished lahmacun.
Lahmacun can also be made without meat. These versions consist of Turkish or feta cheese, eggs, butter, and parsley. Other fillings, such as green pepper or tomato paste for a more savory topping, may be included in meat or non-meat versions.
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