Lebanese Lamb with Spiced Flatbread and Yogurt Sauce

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We've tried a couple of different recipes for Lebanese lamb with spiced flatbread (aka manakish) and yogurt sauce and have tweaked recipes slightly to our own tastes to come up with the recipes detailed here.  

The lamb dish is full of flavour from the spices and you get extra pops of flavour from the pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.   The flatbread has a lovely crunch but is very light and the zaatar compliments the flavours from the lamb dish.   The yogurt provides freshness and compliments both the lamb and the flatbread.

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How to make these Lebanese Lamb with Spiced Flatbread and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

Lebanese lamb:

• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500g lamb mince, broken in pieces
• 30g tomato purée 
• 2 pinches chilli flakes 
• 1 tsp ground allspice 
• 2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 0.5 tsp fine sea salt 
• 1 chicken stock cube or pot (for 500ml) 
• 10g pomegranate molasses 
• 130ml water 
• 30g pine nuts 
• 2 tsp dried mint
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 100g pomegranate seeds, to garnish
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled, to garnish (optional)

Spiced flatbread (see Tips):

• 1 sachet (7g) dried instant yeast
• 200ml water 
• 85g olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 300g plain flour 
• 1.25 tsp salt 
• 4 tsp zaatar

Yogurt sauce:

• 100ml Greek yogurt
• juice of 0.5 a lime
• 0.5 tsp dried mint
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Spiced flatbread and yogurt sauce (see Tips):

1. Place the water, yeast and 55g of the olive oil in a jug – note: the water needs to be lukewarm (around 37°C) – stir to mix then leave to stand for 2 minutes.   
2. Lightly oil a bowl and spatula and set aside.   If using a stand (food) mixer, pour in the yeast mixture and then add the flour and 0.5 tsp salt, then knead for 1 minute 30 seconds.  If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.  
3. With the aid of the oiled spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover the bowl with lightly oiled cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper and grease it with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking tray. With oiled hands, form the dough into a round shape. Cover the dough with lightly oiled cling film and leave it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
5. Now make the yogurt sauce – mix all of the ingredients together in a small serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
7. Without kneading the dough any further, spread it out with oiled fingertips into a rectangle (26cm x 30cm) and set aside.
8. In a bowl, weigh in 30g of olive oil.  Add the zaatar and remaining 0.75 tsp of salt to the olive oil and mix it together. Brush the flatbread with the zaatar and olive oil mixture and allow it to rise for further 15 minutes in a warm place.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, cut in squares with the yogurt sauce.

Lebanese lamb:

1. While the flatbread is in the oven baking, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the chopped garlic, onion, lamb mince, tomato purée, chilli flakes, allspice, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Then, add the stock cube or pot, water, pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and dried mint, then cover with a lid and cook on a simmer for 12 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and stir through 2 tbsp of the chopped parsley.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve along with the remaining 1 tbsp of chopped parsley and the pomegranate seeds, and crumbled feta (optional) for garnishing.   Enjoy with the spiced flatbread and yogurt sauce.

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Lebanese Lamb with Spiced Flatbread and Yogurt Sauce

By: Deborah

Full of flavour lamb, flatbread that's very light and the yogurt provides freshness.

PREP: 20 minutes minutes

COOK: 25 minutes minutes

Proving (overnight - optional): 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

TOTAL: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main

Cuisine: Middle East

Servings: 4 people

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Ingredients

Lebanese lamb:

• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 500 g (1.1 lb) lamb mince broken in pieces
• 30 g (1.1 oz) tomato purée
• 2 pinches chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 chicken stock cube or pot for 500ml
• 10 g (0.4 oz) pomegranate molasses
• 130 ml (½ cup) water
• 30 g (1.1 oz) pine nuts
• 2 tsp dried mint
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves roughly chopped
• 100 g (3.5 oz) pomegranate seeds to garnish
• 100 g (3.5 oz) feta cheese crumbled, to garnish (optional)

Spiced flatbread (see Notes):

• 1 sachet (7g sachet) dried instant yeast
• 200 ml (⅞ cup) water
• 85 g (½ cup) olive oil plus extra for greasing
• 300 g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
• 1.25 tsp salt
• 4 tsp zaatar

Yogurt sauce:

• 100 ml (½ cup) Greek yogurt
• juice of 0.5 a lime
• 0.5 tsp dried mint
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Spiced flatbread and yogurt sauce (see Notes):

• Place the water, yeast and 55g of the olive oil in a jug – note: the water needs to be lukewarm (around 37°C) – stir to mix then leave to stand for 2 minutes.
• Lightly oil a bowl and spatula and set aside.   If using a stand (food) mixer, pour in the yeast mixture and then add the flour and 0.5 tsp salt, then knead for 1 minute 30 seconds.  If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.
• With the aid of the oiled spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover the bowl with lightly oiled cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper and grease it with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking tray. With oiled hands, form the dough into a round shape. Cover the dough with lightly oiled cling film and leave it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
• Now make the yogurt sauce – mix all of the ingredients together in a small serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Without kneading the dough any further, spread it out with oiled fingertips into a rectangle (26cm x 30cm) and set aside.
• In a bowl, weigh in 30g of olive oil.  Add the zaatar and remaining 0.75 tsp of salt to the olive oil and mix it together. Brush the flatbread with the zaatar and olive oil mixture and allow it to rise for further 15 minutes in a warm place.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, cut in squares with the yogurt sauce.

Lebanese lamb:

• While the flatbread is in the oven baking, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the chopped garlic, onion, lamb mince, tomato purée, chilli flakes, allspice, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Then, add the stock cube or pot, water, pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and dried mint, then cover with a lid and cook on a simmer for 12 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir through 2 tbsp of the chopped parsley.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve along with the remaining 1 tbsp of chopped parsley and the pomegranate seeds, and crumbled feta (optional) for garnishing.   Enjoy with the spiced flatbread and yogurt sauce.

Notes

• NOTE: The flatbread dough needs to be refrigerated to prove for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
• We enjoy these Lebanese lamb with spiced flatbread and yogurt sauce recipes to share as an evening meal, however, they'll also work well for sharing as part of a meze, along with some houmous and pitta bread and other middle eastern dishes.
• The recipes are easily reduced if you’re cooking for less people.

 

You might also like to try:

• lamb dishes
• breads
• side dishes

•  

Nutrition

Calories: 1008kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1786mg | Potassium: 678mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 506IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 248mg | Iron: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

KEYWORDS flatbreads, fresh mint, greek yogurt, lamb mince, pine nuts, pomegranate, spices, zaatar

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