Lahmacun Recipe

Also referred to as Turkish pizza, Lahmacun is a thin, crispy flatbread, that has been topped with minced meat, onions, tomatoes, herbs such as parsley and spices such as cumin and paprika and then baked.

Unlike a pizza, it doesn't have cheese on it and it's really thin, so much so that it can be eaten rolled up and makes the perfect street food. We would say that the Turkish Pide is more pizza-like than Lahmacun.

Lahmacun is a classic example of regional cuisine, as it originates from the South Eastern part of Turkey, but it is served in restaurants, cafes and other eateries all over the country. Lahmacun is such a tasty and satisfying food, not to be missed out on whenever you get to have a bite to eat at a Turkish restaurant.

If you love Lahmacun, then you will be pleased to know that throughout the Mediterranean, there are plenty more tasty variations of flatbreads to try, from Italian pizza all the way to Lebanese Zatar Manaqish. In the meantime, why not try out our Lahmacun recipe:

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

1 cup lukewarm Water
1 tsp dry Yeast (10g fresh Yeast can also be used)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vegetable/Sunflower oil
360g – 3 cups Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)

For the Toppings:

250g Minced Meat
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
A Handful of Parsley
1 Green and Red Pepper
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1/2 tbsp Tomato paste
1/2 tbsp Red pepper paste
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
1/2 tsp Sweet ground Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Urfa biber (isot pepper)
1/3 tsp Ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the water, yeast, salt, oil and most of the flour together.
2. Add more flour if needed and continue to knead it into a smooth dough. Cover and set aside.
3. In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and parsley finely but not in to a puree.
4. Add the minced meat, tomato paste, pepper paste and all of the spices to the food processor with a little oil if needed.
5. Chop everything together until it becomes smooth and slightly wet. If not, add a little water to the mixture.
6. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and roll them out one by one about half a centimetre thick.
7. Add 1-2 tbsp of the mixture on to the base of the lahmacun and spread it evenly using the back of a spoon.
8. Lahmacun can be cooked in a pan or in the oven. If using a pan, heat the pan, place the lahmacun in and cover it with a lid so that the topping cooks thoroughly as well as the dough. Cook for a couple of minutes until the dough is crispy and brown underneath.
9. If using the oven to cook it, heat the oven to 450°F/230°C/Gas Mark 8 and cook the lahmacun for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is crispy and golden brown.
10. Keep them covered and warm whilst cooking the rest of the lahmacun.

Lahmacun rolled up with fresh salad