A recipe from Gemo

Lahmacun

Name: Lahmacun
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8 lahmacun
Ingredients: 500 g Flour (plus extra for rolling); 329.58 ml Water (300 ml for the dough | 2 tbsp only if topping needs loosening); 2.5 tsp Salt (1.5 tsp for the dough | 1 tsp for topping); 3 tbsp Olive Oil (1 tbsp for the dough | 2 tbsp for topping); 450 g Ground Beef (medium-fat; or use a lamb-beef mix); 1 pc Onion (large, roughly chopped); 2 pc Tomato (ripe, roughly chopped); 2 pc Bell Pepper (1 pc red, roughly chopped | 1 pc mild or hot); 3 clove Garlic (peeled); 1 bunch Parsley (0.5 bunch stems trimmed, for topping | 0.5 bunch leaves, for serving); 2 tbsp Tomato Paste (or 1 tbsp tomato paste plus 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste); 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (pul biber if available); 1 tsp Paprika (sweet); 0.5 tsp Cumin (Ground); 0.5 tsp Black Pepper (freshly ground); 1 pc Red Onion (thinly sliced, for serving); 1 tsp Sumac (for the onion); 2 pc Lemon (cut into wedges)

გემო (ოფიციალური გვერდი)Chef

80 minMedium4 servings

Thin, crisp Turkish flatbreads spread edge to edge with a finely minced beef, pepper, tomato, and herb topping, baked hot and served with lemon, parsley, and sumac onions.

Method

01
Make the dough: mix 500 g flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a wide bowl, add 300 ml warm water and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes so it rolls very thin without tearing.
⏱ 30 min
02
Prepare the topping while the dough rests. Pulse 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 3 garlic cloves, and 1/2 bunch parsley until very finely minced but not pureed. Drain off only obvious excess liquid, then mix with 450 g ground meat, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. The mixture should be soft and spreadable; add up to 2 tablespoons water only if it feels stiff.
03
Heat the oven as hot as it will go, ideally 250 C, with a heavy baking sheet or stone inside. Divide the dough into 8 balls, keep them covered, and roll one ball at a time into a very thin 22-25 cm round or oval on a floured surface.
04
Spread a thin layer of topping over each dough round all the way to the edge, pressing it lightly into the dough instead of piling it high. Transfer to the hot sheet and bake at 250 C in batches for 6-8 minutes, until the edges are crisp, the bottom has browned spots, and the meat is cooked through.
⏱ 7 min
05
For a crisper street-food finish, place each baked lahmacun in a very hot dry skillet for about 30-60 seconds to toast the base. Stack cooked lahmacun loosely under a clean towel while the remaining pieces bake.
⏱ 1 min
06
Toss the sliced red onion with 1 teaspoon sumac. Serve the lahmacun hot with parsley leaves, sumac onion, and lemon wedges, then squeeze, scatter, roll, and eat by hand.