Lahem Bi Ajeen

About This Recipe

Lahem Bi Ajeen are Lebanese meat pies — thin flatbread cups filled with seasoned minced lamb or beef, onions, pine nuts, and spices, then baked until golden. They're crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and sold at bakeries and street food stalls throughout Lebanon. Each one is a perfect handheld meal.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 300 mlwarm water
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 2 tspsalt
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 400 gground lamb or beef
• 1 largeonion, finely diced
• 1/4 cuppine nuts
• 1 tspallspice
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/4 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Mix flour, water, yeast, 2 tsp salt, and 3 tbsp olive oil. Knead until smooth, 8 minutes. Let rise 1 hour.

2. 2

   Make filling

   Cook ground meat with onion until browned. Add pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Divide dough

   Divide dough into 12 pieces. Let rest 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Shape

   Roll each piece thin. Press into a small tartlet or cup shape on baking sheet.

5. 5

   Fill

   Spoon meat filling into the center of each dough cup.

6. 6

   Bake

   Bake at 220°C for 18-20 minutes until golden and crispy.

Variations

• •

  Use ground chicken instead of lamb.

• •

  Add pomegranate molasses to the filling for tartness.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. Reheat in oven.

Frequently Asked Questions