Lebanese beef shawarma

Name: Lebanese beef shawarma
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 800 g Beef sirloin or top round, sliced 3 mm thin; 45 ml White vinegar; 45 ml Olive oil; 15 ml Pomegranate molasses; 2 tbsp Baharat (Lebanese seven spice); 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper; 1.5 tsp Fine sea salt; 4 Garlic cloves, grated; 1 Yellow onion, sliced paper thin; 2 Bay leaves; 30 g Beef tallow or ghee, for searing; 150 ml Tahini sauce, to serve; 120 g Pickled turnips, to serve; 25 g Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 2 Lemon wedges, to serve; 4 Large flatbreads

Beirut-style beef shawarma: thin ribbons of sirloin marinated in vinegar, baharat and garlic, seared hard and fast so the edges caramelise while the centre stays pink. Served with tahini, pickled turnips and a hard squeeze of lemon.

45 min totalmediummedium

Instructions

1
Firm the beef in the freezer for 30-40 minutes — semi-frozen meat is far easier to slice thinly. Slice across the grain into 3 mm ribbons with a long knife.
2
Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, baharat, cumin, coriander, pepper, salt and garlic into a loose paste.
3
Toss the beef, sliced onion and bay leaves through the marinade with your hands until every ribbon is coated. Marinate 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 12 hours refrigerated.
4
Drain the beef in a colander for 10 minutes and discard the bay leaves. Excess marinade in the pan means steam, and steam means grey meat.
5
Heat a wide, heavy skillet over the highest heat you have until the tallow shimmers and just begins to smoke.
6
Sear the beef in three thin batches, 2-3 minutes each, tossing only every 45 seconds so the ribbons have time to brown against the metal.
7
Return all the meat and onion to the pan, add a splash of vinegar and toss for a final minute so the juices reduce and glaze the beef.
8
Taste and correct with salt, a squeeze of lemon and an extra pinch of baharat while the pan is still hot.
9
Warm the flatbreads, spread with tahini sauce, and pile in the beef with pickled turnips and parsley.
10
Roll tightly, toast the wrap seam-side down for a minute, and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Vinegar is doing double duty here: it tenderises the beef and gives the finished wrap the sharp Beirut street-cart edge. Do not marinate longer than 12 hours or the texture turns mealy. Top round is the budget cut that works; skirt also cooks beautifully if you slice it very thin.

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