Recipe: Lahmacun With Organic Ground Cumin
Lahmacun is a traditional Turkish dish that’s actually pronounced Laha-ma-joun and it’s a particularly tasty one when it’s served with organic ground cumin. Essentially, it’s a super-thin Turkish-style pizza that features a number of mouthwatering toppings like tomatoes, fresh herbs, minced meat, and peppers.
We’re going to take the easy route in this one, as we want a true food-on-the-go aspect to this recipe. What short-cut are we taking?
Well, we’re going to slightly cheat by including pre-made pizza dough you’ll find at the store, rather than making it from scratch. We’re ok with doing this because the real magic lies in the ingredients you place on top!
Perfect On Its Own Or With Your Favorite Mezze Dishes
Despite being a recipe that can be thrown together quite quickly and easily, the taste explosion you get from the organic ground cumin and all the other gorgeous toppings is anything but a make-do meal. Able to be enjoyed on its own for your lunch or by dinner guests with all your delicious Mezze favorites, it’s a dish with real versatility.
Before we get to the quick and easy recipe, let’s take a brief look at the interesting story behind Lahmacun…
The History of Lahmacun
Look back through Mediterranean history and you’ll see flatbeds being enjoyed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Known as a specialty that is derived from other thin flatbreads from Italy and the Levant, Lahmacun eventually found its way to Turkey, where it’s been a staple since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
Also known by the Arabic Lahma Biajeen, the translation of Lahmacun is dough with meat - so it’s nothing if not literal. If you’re wondering exactly what Lahmacun with organic ground cumin is actually like, try imagining a smoother, thin, crispy pizza that’s topped with a mixture of meat and spices.
You will find a number of different variations on this theme that are more like meat pies than pizzas, with Sfiha and manaqish numbering among them. We’d like to say it’s a Turkish invention, but the truth is, it’s been so popular across a wide geographical area that it’s known by many names like Armenian pizza, Arabian pizza, Lebanese pizza, and more!
Your Lahmacun With Organic Ground Cumin Recipe!
Ok, so to the part you’ve all been waiting for - the recipe for your delicious Lahmacun. The dish has two main components - as we’ve covered - with the dough being the first and the meat topping being the other. Making the perfect dough is a skill on its own, so you can make it from scratch, but for the purposes of this recipe, we’re assuming your dough is already made.
Whichever option you took, the next step remains the same. You need to spread out your dough nice and wide so that it cooks very thinly. You’re aiming for a thin flatbread that’s crispy around the edges, so have that in mind when you’re making your base.
Here’s the interesting part…We are not listing specific quantities of ingredients, as it’s really up to you how liberally you spread everything, but Turkish lahmacun is traditionally topped with a generous layer of minced lamb.
You should take around 250 grams of minced lamb and blend it together with sweet red pepper, a pinch of organic ground cumin, tomato paste, and fresh herbs of your choice. You can play around with the spiciness to your own tastes, but avoid things like cayenne if you’re not a fan of heat!
Once you’ve got your mixture ready, it’s then a case of spreading it out very thinly (around ½ centimeter) across your pre-prepared dough and then put it in a hot oven (around 450 degrees Fahrenheit) for as long as it takes for the toppings to be cooked through and the dough to be nice and crispy.
You’re now ready to enjoy a taste of Turkey!
Wonderful, Easy to Make Deliciousness!
Lahmacun is a great option for lunch or dinner and it can be made easily and quickly by anyone, regardless of culinary expertise or experience. Adding organic ground cumin adds a gorgeous, sweet, and nutty flavor too, with a dash of lemon juice adding a touch of zing if that’s your thing!
If you’re thinking of putting this lovely dish together yourself at home, you can get most of the ingredients at your local grocery store and the cumin at the Little Istanbul Gifts shop.
