Sharhat ghanam
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Described by Imad as 'a more homely version of lamb shawarma', this lamb neck pitta bread is known in Syria as 'sharhat ghanam' and made by marinating slivers of tender lamb neck in yogurt and spices, before quickly grilling each piece in a heavy pan. The lamb neck is served with a fresh biwaz salad and a tahini dressing which Imad says is a staple of his renowned restaurant's cooking. At Imad's Syrian Kitchen, Imad and his team marinate large batches of Aleppo and Urfa chilli flakes in olive oil to keep them fresh for longer. At home you can just use the powder directly.
Ingredients
Lamb neck
- 1kg lamb neck , sliced into very thin strips
- 1 tbsp of yoghurt , heaping
- 1/2 tbsp of Urfa chilli flakes
- 1/2 tbsp of Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp of baharat powder
- 2 garlic cloves , minced, about 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 50ml of olive oil
Salad
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions , thinly sliced, soaked in cold water to make them crunchy
- 1 tsp sumac
- 100g of flat-leaf parsley , finely chopped
- 1 tomato , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
- salt
Tahini sauce
- 100g of tahini
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 60g of lemon juice
- 100g of iced water
To assemble
- 5 pitta breads
- 1 pinch of sumac
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- olive oil, as needed
Method
Begin by marinating the lamb neck. Mix the sliced meat with the rest of the ingredients and leave in the fridge overnight. If you’re short on time, you can marinate for just 3–4 hours
- 1kg lamb neck , sliced into very thin strips
- 1 tbsp of yoghurt , heaping
- 1/2 tbsp of Urfa chilli flakes
- 1/2 tbsp of Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp of baharat powder
- 2 garlic cloves , minced, about 1 tbsp
- 50ml of olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
When the lamb is ready to cook, make the salad by mixing together all the ingredients, and seasoning to taste with salt. Set aside
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions , thinly sliced, soaked in cold water to make them crunchy
- 100g of flat-leaf parsley , finely chopped
- 1 tomato , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp sumac
- salt
Whisk together all the ingredients for the tahini sauce except the iced water. Whisk in the iced water steadily – the tahini will initially seize, but as you keep whisking it should loosen up and become smooth
- 100g of tahini
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 60g of lemon juice
- 100g of iced water
Cook the lamb neck in a shallow pan on a very high heat, with an extra few splashes of olive oil if required to stop the lamb sticking. Cook the meat for 3 minutes and then remove from the heat
- olive oil, as needed
Warm your pita breads through before placing them on each dish, topped with a generous handful of the lamb neck and a drizzle of the tahini yoghurt dressing. Garnish each dish with the salad and sprinkling of sumac and chilli flakes
- 5 pitta breads
- 1 pinch of sumac
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
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Sharhat ghanam
